


The Scarf That Smelled of Spaghetti

by Tan



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Cinnamon Roll Papyrus, Comedy, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Humor, Post-Pacifist Route, Reader Is Not Frisk, Romantic Comedy, Romantic Fluff, Second-Hand Embarrassment
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-11
Updated: 2016-01-26
Packaged: 2018-05-06 02:34:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 27,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5399624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tan/pseuds/Tan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As an art student with a passion for anatomy you one day find yourself stalking a skeleton. Regardless of the excuses you tell yourself you wonder if this deep interest in the skeleton man goes beyond just art. Before you have a chance to question these feelings his brother begins to plague your nightmares confusing you even more.</p>
<p>--</p>
<p>Takes place an ambiguous amount of years after the barrier is broken. Characters have matured in their own way over time from being exposed to the human world. Plenty of Undertale character cameos mixed in. Story reads similar to a rom-com manga/anime where the main story arc is the reader's relationship with the skeleton brothers and other sub-plots mixed in. Primarily a PapyrusxReader story with SansxReader moments. Each chapter is about 3k words, give or take.</p>
<p>Chapter 10 word count progress:<br/>1.5k/3k</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Stalking a Skeleton

You were walking home, or at least you were 25 minutes ago, that was when you saw him. A tall skeleton carrying a couple of grocery bags. Stalking a skeleton was not in the itinerary for today it just kind of happened. As an art student it's difficult to help your fascination and curiosity for anatomy. When you saw a real standing, walking skeleton you naturally gravitated towards him noting the bones that were visible, he wore a white T-shirt with grey khaki shorts letting you have a good look at his knees and arms. It was cold enough outside to need a jacket, you even had gloves on but that was because you naturally got chillier than others. The only hint of Fall clothing the skeleton wore was a faded crimson scarf that looked notably worn from use. Skeletons don't have skin to feel cold or hot but you wondered how many of their senses were replaced with magic. They could see, hear, buy groceries, and strut as they walk apparently.

Your eyes raked his body, slightly disappointed you couldn't see more. The curves of the ulna and radius are much better appreciated up close rather than the 10 feet distance you put between the two of you. You could see the edges of his pelvis push out against his shorts and tried to follow the imagined silhouette to the greater trochanter where the leg would start. It was there if only hinted, you could see the fabric respond to the rotation of his legs. His scapulas also protruded from the back of his shirt making his shoulders more pronounce. What the heck were you doing??? If it wasn't purely for art...for science even, maybe...you were essentially undressing him with your eyes. Feeling heat rush to your face you facepalmed dragging your hand down as though you could smear of the rising red hue. Maybe you shouldn't get into the habit of stalking skeletons in fear of the kind of obsessions it would result in. 

"This is just uh...for research, yeah." You began convincing yourself, "I mean I am taking an ecorche class that's all about anatomy, heck maybe I could get extra credit for this."

As your mind continued to ramble excuses you heard the sound of a car speed up dramatically from behind you. Just as you began to look back your ears were deafened by the sound of constant honking, you couldn't tell if they were trying to warn you or just call your attention. A pickup truck with people standing in the back with baseball bats was headed towards you, in a panic you ducked down as the car blazed past you. Then you heard a distinct "thunk" or was it "clunk"? Looking back up you could see the truck struggle to make a turn up ahead, one guy almost falling off if it wasn’t for his friend keeping him on board via wedgie... What was that?! Looking ahead of you, the skeleton man had stopped in his tracks and his scarf had fallen to the ground. Well not just his scarf but his head was missing too. Before a second could pass the body fell to its knees and then collapsed on the ground to its right.

What the crap!? Did you just witness a murder?? Can skeletons even be killed? They were kind of like zombies but those don't exist, magic skeletons do. 

Hesitating to walk over to the body you heard a groan. About 23 feet away lay the skeleton man's skull. You ran over to it quickly bending down to pick it up but it seemed hollow. You even wondered if you had picked up a different skull, like those are just laying around every few blocks. Tracing your finger from the skulls brow to its cheekbones your inner artist took attention to the flow, depth, and angles of the skull. You sighed wondering if it would be rude to just bring the whole skeleton back home for reference but even that seemed psycho crazy to you. Suddenly a dark shadow swirled in the sockets with the flicker of an orange spark and the quiet groan returning.

"Ahck!" You instinctively jumped, the skull flying into the air and landing in the middle of the road which of course was now busy. Running to the edge of the sidewalk you watched as each car tire barely missed running over the skull. If those delinquents didn't kill him then you just might have. Negative: You became a murderer. Positive: You'd have a free skeleton body to take home-er no that would still be weird. As the light finally turned red you ran to scoop up the now trembling skull.

"I-I'm so so so so soooooo sorry! I just, I thought you were dead or, I don’t know, going to possess me and I freaked out."

The skull's trembling subsided and his eyes widened as he spoke up. "HOW DID I SCARE YOU FROM SO FAR AWAY? Did I do something to upset you or do you just not like skeletons?"

"Well actually I'm really fascinated with skele-er what do you mean from far away?"

"You’ve been trailing me for the past 30 minutes like prey. Suddenly I hear your battle cry and before I had a chance to turn around and prepare for battle I was flying in the air. Then everything went dark, but after coming to you threw me towards oncoming traffic. It was a terrible experience, except for the flying part, that part was fun actually."

"No that was an accident, I didn't throw you I just jumped and you slipped out of my hands and it was some punks with a baseball bat that attacked you not me." You paused a little flustered and not wanting to admit you HAD been following him, " and uhm, I think the battle cry was the car honking, I couldn't even make that noise if I tried."

The skull squinted not certain he could trust you. Pinching your nose in thought with your free hand you took a deep breath and attempted to imitate the sound of a car horn which resulted in you pitifully shouting the word "honk". Your face became flush from embarrassment.

" Y-you see I couldn't have-"

"NYEH HEH HEH HEH" his laughter cut you off and began to ring in your ears, "Even I, the great Papyrus could do a better impression!" Before you could get a word in he took in a sharp breath and audibly replicated the sound of a..... dolphin? "Oh...uh..how embarrassing. I guess it wasn't as easy as I expected. I believe you, human." He broke into a nervous sweat but you were still dumbfounded by the perfect dolphin impression. He didn't even have a throat, even less so detached from his body.  
“Uh, how about I bring you back to your body?” 

“Yes, that would be most appreciated!” despite the circumstances his voice and expression lit up as though positivity fueled him. Some of it even spreading to yourself as you felt a smile crawl on your face. From your periphery you sensed an unnatural movement from several feet away. Looking back you saw the limping body of Papyrus crawling towards you in a zombie fashion. You felt yourself about to jump but instinctively hugged the skull to prevent a repeat of earlier. A walking skeleton was fine with you but a headless walking skeleton was where you drew the line. Your body tensed up as you felt something push against your chest.

“Rmmph! Mmrrm mm! Phmm!” 

Internally you screamed, you hadn’t noticed in your attempt to keep him safe you had pulled Papyrus face first into your chest. Not a second later you forced your hands away with the skull.

“HUMAN, ARE YOU TRYING TO SUFFOCATE ME? Make up your mind, are we going to battle or not?”

“N-n-n-no! I just get scared easily…” you frowned feeling your face heat up. Looking back at his body it was kneeling before you as though you were about to knight it. Without his skull you could easily look down his shirt giving you a view of his ribs and the portions of his clavicles connecting to the sternum. With your free hand you reached out and traced the curve of his left clavicle to the shoulder blade over his shirt.

“Human?”

You nearly jump and felt the previous heat rise to your ears. Trying to play it off you grabbed his left clavicle, shirt and all claiming you just want to make sure his body stayed still. You later realized it wasn’t necessary since his skull gravitated and snapped in place like a magnet once brought close enough. Even if you had dropped the skull along the way you could imagine it doing some ridiculous twirl mid-air as it floated towards his spinal cord, or something magic-y like that. The skeleton man who had called himself Papyrus stood up, stretched and audibly cracked his neck. Now that you were right in front of him you realized the top of your head barely reached his shoulders.  
  
“Thank you, human!” He looked down at you with a heartfelt smile which made you feel a twinge in your chest. You could feel he was about to leave and you would never see him again. It hurt, not just because your walking reference would be out of sight but that someone who could show you such a bright smile after such a horrible series of events was about to exit out of your life and you want more of him, more of his presence, more of the bright aura he carried around with him. Looking down you didn’t want to show the irrational feelings seeping into your expression.  
  
“No problem…”, taking a step back you heard a crack. Your head quickly shifted back fearing you had stepped on and broken one of the bones that flew off with his skull. It was just a box of uncooked-  
  
“NOOO! MY PASTA, I MUST HAVE DROPPED THEM!”  
  
“Oh, uh I could help you pick it up.”  
  
“Yes, yes! That would be most helpful!” again he exclaimed with addictive joy. You began counting the boxes of pasta as you collected them into one of the two grocery bags. 2….7….14…26..? “Papyrus was it? I got 26 boxes in this bag.”  
  
“Oh good you already got the other half! I got my scarf back as well” he began to hum as he stood back up and started walking away.  
  
'He bought 52 boxes of pasta???' was your immediate thought but your second was to walk with him. The two of you continued this way for the next 15 minutes.  
  
“Sorry for stepping on one of your boxes, I didn’t know it was behind me. Is there something I can do to make it up to you?” you finally said breaking the silence.  
  
He lifted his hand to his chin in thought, eyes becoming slits and the bag of groceries sliding down to his elbow. This was the expression he wore for an entire 3 minutes and each second terrified you. What would he make you do? All you did was step on a box of pasta but maybe that was really offensive to skeletons. Couldn’t you just buy another box, you could afford even that on your student budget. 

“AH-HAH! I got it!” this startled you but you figured his exclamations were something to get used to. “Stay for dinner and try my spaghetti!” his eyes gleamed regardless of being two voids. Honestly this was more of a reward to you than pay back, all you had eaten for the past 4 days was instant ramen and although spaghetti was still in the noodle family it was a welcome change of flavor.

“Oh, of course. Heh, I was worried you’d ask me to do something weird. Where's your house?”

“You're standing right in front of it.” He gleamed waving his arm out to present the red door in front of you.  
You literally just followed him to his house, up the steps and to the door without realizing it. Hopefully he doesn’t ask where you were headed before. Papyrus opens the door for you waiting for you to enter first and then tumbles in running towards the kitchen.  
“Uhm, human please get comfortable I need to clean the kitchen first, I wasn’t expecting company today and there was a little… mishap before I went out to buy more pasta.” He was sweating nervously but you told him it was fine. The house already smelled like cooked pasta and…. smoke. Hopefully you weren’t about to eat burnt pasta or else you’d understand how this could be construed as compensation for stepping on one out of 52 boxes of his precious pasta.


	2. Even the Dog is a Bomb!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You finally take a step inside Papyrus' house looking forward to the first home cooked meal you've had in months. You also get introduced to his roommate/brother.

The house was two stories tall, the upstairs having a balcony with 4 visible doors you could barely catch a glimpse of. You wondered if more people lived here or if perhaps Papyrus just needed the extra room to store his pasta box collection. Oh hey, maybe that would be a good Christmas gift if you know each other long enough. He would be one box closer to owning all the boxes of pasta in existence.  
  
“Hey, can I wait in the kitchen?” you called out, not wanting your curiosity to get the better of you.  
  
“N-NO! You mustn’t, this dish must be a surprise!” a nervous nyeheheh followed. He probably forgot already telling you he was going to make spaghetti, but you weren’t one to complain about free food.  
  
Downstairs was a large sofa that looked at least 10x comfier than your bed at home with a mountain of fluffy blankets draping over it and two perfectly fluffed pillows on each arm rest. You glanced towards the kitchen and did a double take of the balcony upstairs to ensure no one was looking and let out a muffled giggle as you ran and jumped over the side and onto the sofa with delight. The sofa was absolutely….rock solid? What kind of betrayal was this?! As pain shot up through you there was a hint of movement coming from below. Reaching for the blankets you started to uncover the sofa revealing another skeleton! It took everything you had to keep from yelping even as your stomach dropped a thousand feet. They were still asleep though, even after you had jumped on their ribcage at full force. You tried to slide off as carefully as possible, taking note of any change of expression from the skeleton but there was still no sign of him waking up. Taking a step away your knee slammed right into the coffee table in front of the sofa. Falling onto it with a clenched groan you cursed the existence of coffee tables everywhere. Rapidly looking back the skeleton was…still asleep, phew!  
  
With a deep breath you took a moment to actually note your surroundings. On the coffee table was a seemingly empty bag of cheesy puffs with a few packets of ketchup. Unusual combo. Next to it was 3 remotes and a couple of magazines with the title “The Sexy Rectangle.” You weren’t sure if the rectangle referred to the magazine itself or something else. About to take another step your eyes caught a glimpse of an empty glass cup and felt like a darn ninja as you stealthily stepped over it. Crisis avoided, you could only imagine the loud noise that would have been caused by allowing the cup to be tipped over onto the plush carpet. This continued as you made your way to the kitchen, taking notes of a rock on a plate, a crunchy candy wrapper you almost stepped on, and a lone sock hugging the wall with post-it notes climbing above it. Finally leaning on the archway leading to the kitchen you let out a sigh of relief catching Papyrus’ attention.  
  
“HUMAN, NOOO I SAID TO WAIT!” he of course exclaimed at the top of his lung (if he had any). Looking back you saw the blankets on the sofa shift and not wanting your first impression to be the person who woke you up via body slam and screaming you run to Papyrus hoping to calm him down.  
  
“No, Papyrus it’s okay it’s just uhm, I wanted to see you cook spaghetti. My curiosity just overwhelmed me and I had to come see for myself.” You draped a hand over your forehead as though to emphasize your distress. This seemed to work and you noticed Papyrus shyly look away as a tinge of red colored his ivory cheekbones.  
  
“Oh, well uh…” his hesitation disappeared as soon as it had arrived, “WELL, OF COURSE! When in the presence of such a magnificent chef one cannot help but be mesmerized by my cooking…but, how did you know I was making spaghetti?” yeah, he definitely forgot.  
  
“Becaaaaaussssssssssse….” you started to look around as though searching the room would give you an answer that wouldn’t hurt his pride. The entire kitchen was layered in a fine dust of smoke, some places obviously wiped clean with messy streak marks. Likely Papyrus in a hurry to both clean and cook at the same time. …”I could smell it?” your sentence trailed off as a question which you instantly regretted but Papyrus didn’t notice. Before he continued you took a seat at the table on the other side of the kitchen, being careful to brush off the soot first.  
  
“With ingredients as pure as these and the passion I force into stirring the pasta I can see how- SANS!” Sans? “You’re awake. Come! Meet the human!” Oh crud, Papyrus must have woken him up with his banter. “I’m almost done making dinner. Wowie, I feel like a dinner-party host now!” Papyrus continued rambling on but you were locked into place not even able to turn and properly say hello to the second skeleton. He didn’t seem to mind or wait for an introduction either. He simply took a seat across the table without acknowledging you.  
  
“Hey bro” he spoke up, “did you try waking me up again?” you could feel sweat starting to form hoping the conversation wouldn’t go in your direction.  
  
“Brother, I know you don’t like it when I wake you up before dinner, so no. Besides, I was out most of the day finding the perfect selection of pasta. The human and I arrived 20 minutes ago or so.” Papyrus lifted his hand to his chin in thought, “Although I do lose track of time when I cook so maybe we’ve been here all night and now it’s tomorrow night!” Papyrus tensed up and looked to you in concern as though apologizing for starving you. A couple of laughs escaped you before you could reply.  
  
“No Papyrus, I’m sure it’s been closer to 20 minutes.” Papyrus relaxed for a moment before you jumped back in, “unless….” You repeated his gesture of lifting your hand to your chin. “I tend to lose track of time when I smell something delicious so maybe we’ve been here for…” you exaggerated a gasp which caused Papyrus to jump slightly, “I’ve been waiting for… Three. Whole. Days.”  
  
“WHAT! OH NO! I AM A HORRIBLE HOST!”  
  
Sans started to chuckle waiting for his brother to pause long enough to join in, “Yeah bro, I feel like I haven’t eaten for an entire week.”  
  
“I-I-II-I WILL TURN UP THE HEAT SO THAT THE PASTA WILL COOK FASTER!”  
  
“NO!” you instinctively shouted and to your surprise it was echoed by Sans. “I was kidding Papyrus it’s been-“ you check your phone “26 minutes now.” You weren’t sure but you have a feeling the earlier mishap had been caused due to similar circumstances.  
  
Papyrus shifted his glance between Sans and yourself, “It seems you two get along better than I expected.” And with that he returned to his cooking, reaching for a colander from one of the kitchen cabinets.  
  
Sans coughed and you weren’t sure if you had imagined it but it sounded like he had tried to disguise saying “never.” Your gaze shifted from Papyrus to Sans, he wasn’t looking at you or at least you didn’t think he was. His sockets were darks voids like his brother but they seemed hollow similar to when you first picked up Papyrus’ skull. Even with the wide smile plastered on his face his expression seemed empty. Suddenly a flicker of light formed staring daggers right at you and you could feel a chill go down your spine. He seemed to notice and gave a light chuckle.  
  
“What’s wrong kid? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” His tone became joking but you weren’t sure if it was because of what he said or because he knew his brother was listening. You averted your eyes claiming it was nothing and waited until the food was ready.  
  
Papyrus whisked a couple of plates to your table, somehow managing to balance one on his bony arm. They were steaming hot, the marinara sauce seeping into every crevice, its heavy aroma intoxicating you, the pasta glistening, gosh you were hungry! You nearly started eating with your hands but restrained yourself for the extra 20 seconds it took Papyrus to fetch the utensils. As soon as you had a fork in your hands you began scarfing down the spaghetti. After satisfying your stomach’s ravenous desire for food you began to slow down. Looking up you noticed Papyrus and Sans were just staring at you, their plates still untouched. Geez you must have looked like an animal. You couldn’t help this was your first REAL home cooked meal in the past 3 months. Up to that point you had been living off of tv dinners, instant ramen, and cheap junk food that left you with enough money for rent and tuition.  
  
“Sorry, uhm-“  
  
“OH HUMAN! You really really, REALLY loved it didn’t you! Sans, does it taste as usual or have I crafted a new recipe yet again!” Papyrus squeaked with delight.  
  
“I wouldn’t know bro, you always make mine the way I like it.” You looked over to Sans plate and notice the marinara sauce looked different, glossier, smoother. In fact you couldn’t even see the pasta underneath. He scooped away at the red mound on his plate catching a single noodle. “1% pasta, 99% ketchup!” he cheered laughing at your responding cringe.  
  
“W-would you like seconds?” Papyrus inquired. Your plate was still two-thirds full but wanting to please him you nodded with an “of course”. He practically skipped over to the stove as he towered more pasta onto the plate than could fit in your stomach. This time you would actually taste the pasta instead of sending it straight to your stomach.  
  
Papyrus began eating as soon as he returned your plate but Sans was staring at you as though waiting for something. You chose to ignore him. Now finally savoring your meal you realized it tasted very familiar, too familiar in fact, as though you had been coming over to eat at Papyrus’ house every other week. Your eyes shifted back to Sans who was now holding back laughter.  
  
“It’s like nothing you’ve ever tasted before, right?” a chuckle slipped out at the end but Sans recomposed himself eager for your response. Papyrus also chimed in with a look of hope for more compliments.  
“Actually, I feel like I’ve had this before but..” you stopped to think, dead sure you ate something like this last week.  
  
Sans pushed away from the table and hopped off the chair. Passing Papyrus he gave him a couple pats on the shoulder and whispered something to him. Another squeak came from Papyrus, “That’s a wonderful idea, I’ll go get a can from the pantry!”  
  
A can? A can..can…….A CAN! That’s where you tasted it from, it was the new line of canned pasta, “Spaghettoyardee!”  
  
“You finally figured it out, kid?” You were starting to realize you had to guard your expressions more around Sans.  
  
Before speaking you made sure Papyrus was out of earshot,”Did..he just serve me canned pasta? No, but he was cooking, did he figure out how to replicate the recipe?” you took another bite to compare the taste you were familiar with and really it was amazing how identical they were.  
  
With his permanent smile, Sans shook his head “Kid, he’s the creator of Spaghettoyardee.”  
  
You ended up spitting your last bite back onto the plate, “W-what?!”  
  
Sans started to laugh to point he complained his ribcage hurt, though you were sure that pain had nothing to do with laughing. Thankfully he related your nervousness to the news rather than wondering if someone had attempted pro wrestling moves on him as he slept. “Anyways I need to head to work over at the mall.”  
  
“It was nice to meet you.” You forced out uncertain about how true that statement was.  
  
“Yeah, maybe we can…KETCHUP some time later.” He chuckled to himself as he walked towards the door at the end of the kitchen, likely leading into the garage.  
  
Waiting for Papyrus you instinctively wiped your mouth with your jacket sleeve. Pulling back you were horrified to see the long streak of marinara sauce left behind, and quickly rolled up your sleeves to hide the stain. You could hear some clambering in the pantry and decided to see if Papyrus needed any help. Knocking on the door you hear Papyrus make a startled noise followed by what sounded like a wave of cans crashing onto the floor.  
  
“Papyrus!?” you slammed the door open to find him buried in what looked to be hundreds of cans of pasta. “Are you okay??”  
  
“Yes, yes I’m fine, don’t worry, they’re all empty.” You walked over to him and began picking up the weightless cans and putting them back on the shelf.  
  
“Why are they empty? Don’t you usually put pasta in them before they get sealed up?” you asked idley turning a can of ravioli labeled “Pasta Pillows” in your hand.  
  
“Sans helps me with that, he has these powers that can put pasta into the cans instantly and keep it as fresh as it was going in when you open it. Although he will on occasion use said power to prank me.” He finished with a grumble. You did wonder how the pasta was always hot out of the can, you heard about cans of green tea from Japan that were self-heating and figured the technology had finally made it to your town. Spaghettoyardee was something you could manage with your budget but it was still on the pricey end of canned food so you settled for eating it once every few weeks.  
  
“So, uhm human do you have a favorite, I’d more than happy to autograph a can for you?”  
  
“Heh, I’d rather just come over to eat on a regular basis” you had said it as a passing comment but as your eyes lifted to meet with Papyrus’ his arms were around you lifting you off the ground as he stood. He began spinning you around, your feet knocking down the cans you had just picked up.  
  
“WOWIE! You must be like my number one fan! Yes, of course I cannot disappoint my bestest fan I will make sure to invite you every week to eat. You can try my super-secret recipes! I could even teach you to cook!”  
  
Before you were ready, he let go leaving you to stumble around in a dizzy peril. Trying to balance yourself against one of the shelves a single can, still empty, fell on your head.  
  
“AH! HUMAN! I will get you ice!” heading for the fridge he tripped over several cans on the ground eventually falling flat on his stomach (if he had one). You started bursting into laughter over his dramatic fall, how worried he got over an empty can falling on you, at how much the mess had escalated past the initial drop of cans, and just the overall brightness you felt being around him. Papyrus seemed a bit confused but was just happy to see you weren’t hurt. You spent the next hour hearing about how Papyrus first learned to cook from a friend named Undyne, how he discovered there were schools above ground dedicated to cooking, how he quickly applied and got rejected about four times until they finally let him in, and all the stories that led to each recipe of pasta now sold nationwide.  
  
“Hmm, it’s Friday today so maybe tomorrow is too soon. How about next Saturday you come over and try out the new recipes I’m working on?” Papyrus eagerly asked as he led you to the door.  
  
“Yeah sounds great, I can call you at this number right?” You waved a card in front of him, the business card he had handed to you earlier. On it was his name, with the title “Master Spaghettore”, a wavy string of letters spelling Nyeheheheh… went across the card on a noodle and his number below.  
  
“Yes! You can call me, text me, send me picture of cats, or even ASCII art. Just uh…nyeheh, no puns. My brother keeps signing me up for pun of day text messages and every time I text ‘unsubscribe’ it just signs me up for more puns per day. It never ends!” he threw his head back in frustration.  
  
You started laughing realizing Sans was obviously the one sending those texts as a prank, “Hey, maybe next week I can show you how to block that number.”  
  
“Really!?” his eyes gleamed and you nodded feeling a bit of heat rush to your cheeks.  
  
“Alright! Well, time to head home.” You give him a salute, put on your gloves and walk out the door. Just as you were about to pull down your sleeves you looked back to see Papyrus cheerfully waving you and decided to wait until you were out of sight, even if you could feel yourself starting to tremble. It’s just uhm, a 30 minute walk to the bus in this cold and it’s night which means it’s colder but you’ll survive. You looked back one more time but Papyrus was gone. Your shaking hands hastily pulled your sleeves down and revealed that the stain now had a fragmented appearance from being folded up. I really hope this washes off. Even with your sleeves down you put your hoodie up and it still wasn’t warm enough. It wasn’t so much the temperature that got you but the awful wind that pierced through your jacket.  
  
You started to hear a ticking sound, kind of like a mechanical clock. You looked at your wrist confused but as expected no watch, you used your phone for that. In the distance you saw a white stray dog but obviously it wouldn’t be ticking that loudly because it was a bomb. You chuckled at the thought but the ticking continued. It was growing louder and coming from behind you. You started to turn back a little nervous as to what would be revealed but before you could completely look back the air was knocked out of you. “Ooph!”  
  
“S-S-ss-Sorry human! I noticed you were cold and so I…I thought…”  
  
“Papyrus?”  
  
“Yes?!”, he jumped.  
  
“No, I mean what are you doing?”  
  
“Here!” placing something over your head you realized he was letting you wear the scarf he had on earlier. “You can bring it back on Saturday, like a reminder or…a promise” he smiled shyly.  
  
“Oh, heh thank you” the scarf was unnaturally warm like it had been imbued with magic. You weren’t sure if it had always been like that or if Papyrus did that just for you. Regardless it made you happy and you could feel your expression soften up like a sugar cube melting in a cup of fresh tea. Looking back up to Papyrus he was staring at you, the flush that occasionally stained his cheeks now spreading to the rest of his face. Responding as though he had been caught in the act of stealing a cookie from the cookie jar without permission he yelped and ran away. Not towards his house though, he kind of just crossed the street and jumped over someone’s fence. You chuckled and continued on to the bus stop pressing the scarf against your face appreciating its warmth. Unsurprisingly, it smelled liked spaghetti.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the TL;DR version of the chapter. It's slightly different just because this is how I block out my writing so just be aware some content is missing and while other content was changed completely for the full chapter. Enjoy~
> 
> o Offers to make you spaghetti and invites you over as thanks  
> o Tastes familiar…the spaghetti franchise, student budget  
> o Did he just buy a can? Nope he is CEO-spittake! Is it bad? No lol  
> o Magic makes it fresh,never expire, and hot out of the can, always thought that was neat like some Japanese green tea can or something  
> o Paps mentions sans helps him with the packaging and delivering, says he has magic that helps instantly put spaghetti in closed cans and makes it so that when someone open a can it’s like opening it right after it was placed in can freeeeeeshness…time space powers obvs  
> o Who sans?  
> o Sans is behind you, this is surprise  
> o Second spittake iiiin paps face? That sounds funny lol not again human! Sorry…  
> o Uuuhm, nice to meet you? Weak smile  
> o He laughs at you which you find rude but its because your face is stained with spaghetti sauce, you find out later but he doesn’t say anything now. Introductory plus pun  
> o Your reaction depends on how good a pun I can find cuz lets be legit about this we don’t want another freaking “whatcha doing here? Feeling bonely/lonely?” Pun amirite?  
> o He sits at counter and you notice his gesture and form, you get to his eyes and realize he’s looking at you looking at him, eep,! Maybe he says ,”enjoying the view?” while paps is busy  
> o No sorry I just,…sorry that was rude. Sokay  
> o Paps give sans a bowl of red and you ask what it is  
> o Paps grumbles and says it’s the way sans likes it 99% ketchup 1% spaghetti. You notice a single noodle and almost laugh.  
> o He finishes when you’re not looking and gets up to go to his room you say it was nice to meet him  
> o He says a pun back if I can find a good one  
> o Paps asks if you’d like to come over and help him by trying new recipes if you’d like  
> o That is so much better than instant ramen so of course yes, and you exchange numbers


	3. It's Like a Blue Stop Sign

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You continue your week reminiscing about your time with the skeleton brothers, someone gives you a helping hand at school, and campus security is ready to kick you off the premises.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Introducing a new OC because I'm actually trying to get a plot into this story. Don't worry, they just make a short appearance in this chapter.

You woke up in your tiny apartment bedroom, the smallest room out of 3 where 5 people lived in total. Really it was only big enough to fit a twin sized bed with a dresser that left you little room to walk. Your closet had enough space to fit a humble amount of clothes but you stored most of your things in your locker over at the school’s sculpture department.  
It was nice waking up with the warmth of Papyrus’ scarf enveloping you. When you had gotten home the night before you were too lazy to change into pajamas and only managed to slip out of your jeans. Feeling fuzzy as you replayed the events of the day in your head, the last thought you had before falling asleep was that skeletons looked cute when they blushed.

Rolling to the side of the bed in the morning, you reached over to your discarded jeans and found your cellphone. Good, there’s still 28% battery left! Searching the rest of the pockets, and of course it was in the last one you checked, you pulled back Papyrus’ business card. Carefully inputting the number and rechecking it 5 times before you sent your first text.

*Hi, are you awake?*

You stared at your phone checking the time every 3 seconds to find that a minute still hadn't pass. Maybe it was the wrong number though, you checked again. It was right but…what if Papyrus didn’t write the number properly on the card. Two minutes pass and it feels like an eternity. You fall backwards on the bed and stare at the ceiling letting out a frustrated sigh.

*~Bloop~*

A notification! You quickly shifted to the edge of your bed, enough that the momentum sent you rolling off into the small crevice that was your walking space. You were too eager to deal with the vertigo and input the passcode to your phone via muscle memory.

# You could win a year’s subscription to SPAM Monthly! - #

UUUGH! Stupid spam!

*~Bloop~*

Your eyes darted back to your phone and saw a little text message notification appear. You hadn’t even unlocked your phone but the joy and satisfaction that filled your body was indescribable. And then… you were incredibly nervous. What if you woke him up? What if this was annoying or maybe it was the wrong number and you have no way of reaching him other than to show up at his house unannounced. Maybe you’ll have to resort to post-it notes on his front door, waiting for him to respond, similar to the ones above the sock in his family room. You unlocked your phone slower this time and clicked on the notification to pull up the message.

#Unsubscribe#

You snorted, this was Papyrus at least.

*It’s me, the human. I promise this isn’t a pun.*

You were about to put down your phone but to your surprise got a response almost immediately.

#OH! Which human???#

Without warning a bit of sadness washed over you. How many humans did he know? Then again, why wouldn’t he know other humans, you knew other humans, too. Humans were kind of everywhere…. Darn it, why are you getting jealous over humans?

*Your #1 fan of course*

# :DDDDDDDD #

Again you laughed at his response.

*Just wanted to make sure I got the right number so I can add you to my contacts. Do you prefer ‘The Great Papyrus’ or ‘Master Spaghettore?’*

# whatever you think best captures my essence! #

*Oh so I should put you as Bad Dinner-Party Host?*

# NOOOOOOO DDDDD: #

*Haha, I’m kidding. Don’t worry, I will put something worthy of your spaghetti making magnificence!*

# :D #  
# What should I put you under as? #

*Human?*

It wasn’t your name but, you kind of hoped you could somehow make that title special.

# I was thinking Super Cool Human Who Is My Bestest Fan, but Human works 2 :D #

You began creating a new contact and typed in Papyrus but it immediately autocorrected to Papaya. Staring at your phone, at the name that glowed before your eyes, you felt a smile crawl onto your face as you saved the contact information as is. Worth it.

The weekend passed quickly and was a combination of working on homework, sleeping in, and binge watching anime online. As Monday finally came around you got back into the rhythm of heading over to the sculpture department to work on your projects both in and outside of class.

When you attended your Ecorche workshop you could feel a refreshing motivation as you sculpted the plastilina clay. Even the instructor made a comment about how you seemed to be enjoying yourself more than usual. Hiding the flush in your cheeks you simply responded that you got inspired from research you had done recently. Ignorant of the ‘research’ you meant he said to keep it up.

Yup…keep stalking skeletons I guess.

\----------------

On Thursday you had an interesting encounter with a fellow student you hadn’t met before. Attempting to lift one of your sculptures you realized it must have been nearly 60 pounds heavy. Even after hollowing it out it always surprised you just how much clay you managed to compress into your art. Rolling it on a cart towards the kilns you felt a poke on your shoulder.

“Do you need help with that?” A friendly but unfamiliar face looked down at you, “Hi, my name is Oleander.” His skin was just faintly pink, hair ivory white, and eyes a piercing red. 

“Oh, uh hi.” You looked back at your overweight sculpture. “Yeah, actually I could use some help. I need this to go on the top shelf over there, but it weighs a ton.”

He began to chuckle light heartedly, “Surely it couldn’t weigh a ton.” Walking on the other side of the cart he carefully lifted the sculpture off and held it effortlessly in his arms. “Unless I’m stronger than I thought.” his eyes smiling as he spoke. 

His presence was giving off… an unusual vibe, but you couldn’t put a name to it. After positioning the sculpture among the shelves next to the kiln he placed his hands on his hips and gave a satisfied nod.

“Good thing I was here, I don’t usually stop by on Thursdays, but maybe I should.” He twirled around, smile still on his face. “Hopefully we’ll see each other again.” Without giving you a chance to respond he walked out of the room with a surprising amount of grace. ‘Well that was something…’ you thought to yourself, but at least it was a helpful something.

\------------------

On Friday you spent the whole day making further progress on your ecorche model, on one side you had the bones blocked out and on the other you had clay building up to form the muscles. The hours flew by and before you knew it campus security was warning you the building would close in 30 minutes. Oh crud, you’ve never had to leave this late and the sculpture department wasn’t exactly in the safest location. Not to mention the type of crowd you might have to deal with on public transportation during your hour long commute. Mulling over your options you decide to call Papaya-er Papyrus. The thought still made you smile.

*Ring…Ring…..Ring*

“HELLO?”

“Hey Papyrus, I hope I’m not calling you too late.” you felt yourself become lighter as you heard his voice for the first time this week.

“Late?………OMG SANS! WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME IT WAS NEARLY MIDNIGHT!” you heard Sans mumble in the background but couldn’t make out what he said, only knowing it caused Papyrus to sigh. “Well I’ve been busy trying to make my weekly quota of canned pasta, I probably still have another hour or so of cooking.”

“Oh..”

“N-Not that cooking would keep me busy, I the great Papyrus can easily manage a phone call as I make my decadent canned meals!”

“Actually, I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind giving me a ride to the subway.”

“WHAT!” Papyrus screeched, “Where are you?? It’s dangerous to be out at this hour!”

“I-I know I just got carried away with sculpting at school and-”

“Text me the address, I’m coming right now!”

“Aren’t you cooking? Maybe uhm, Sans can pick me up?”

“Pshhh, that lazy bones doesn’t even have a license, but he CAN watch the pasta, Nyeheheheh!” you heard Sans ask ‘what?’ in the background but then the line went dead.

#~Bloop~#

# I am in my car now, please commence the texting of your location #

# Still waiting for the address #

# I BACKED UP INTO THE TRASH CAN!!11!!11!!!! DDDD: #

# Sans always forgets to bring it back in >:I #

*XD you’re not giving me a chance to respond, hold on. Sorry about the trash can*

This time Papyrus waited for your text. Afterwards he replied back that you should call him if anything comes up so he can pick up the phone via Bluetooth. You began cleaning up as you waited for him to arrive and heard your phone chirp after about 18 minutes.

“Papyrus?”

“I CAN’T FIND YOU!” you heard his voice echoing from outside the room.

“Just stay where you are, okay?” peeking out the window on your classroom door you saw Papyrus facing the door on the opposite wall. “Okay, hang up the phone and turn around.” You saw him pull the phone away and look at it questioningly as he hung up. Turning his head his eyes met yours and a wide smile livened his face. You opened the door smiling back, “Mind helping me clean up?”

Before answering, Papyrus picked you up into a tight hug that left your breathless, carefully placing you back on the ground after a moment. 

“Yes, let me know what I can help with!” he beamed not noticing the flustered expression you were poorly hiding.

“O-okay well uhm, my stuff is right over here. What would be really helpful is if you could help me lift my sculpture into the cubby across the room over there. Then I just need to put away my apron, wash my hands, and we’re good to go.”

Before reaching your ecorche model you heard a gasp come from Papyrus. Looking back, he was starting to take off his shirt. 

“w-What are you doing!?” you ran over to him grabbing the hem of his shirt and firmly pulling it back down.

“But…” he looked at you with puppy dog eyes that could make you agree to anything. “…that poor guy has no clothes, the least I could do is offer my shirt while he tries to get back on his feet. I believe in him!” Papyrus began nodding in hope. You snapped out of your previous daze, immediately confused.

Turning around, there wasn’t anyone else in the room. Just empty turntables, except the one holding your sculpture, a blackboard with the average proportions of the human form, a box of bones, and an anatomical skeleton hanging upright- “oh, hah…”

“It’s not funny to laugh at those who are less fortunate.” Papyrus whispered nervously.

“No, Papyrus, that skeleton is plastic. It’s for reference like the box of bones over there.” You pointed over to the box and Papyrus’ expression went from concern to fascination.

“WOWIE! I have a box like that at home. Do you use these for combat practice as well?”

“No?” you wondered how bones would be used in combat other than the obvious method of just hauling them at unsuspecting victims.

“Oh, well sometimes Sans and I would also spell out words with them. Like ‘Cool Dude’ or ‘Awesome’ and it’ll be at least twice my height! Sans likes to write ‘Calcium’ or ‘Bones’….”

“I have literally never thought of taking those bones to attack people with or spell out words but I’ll keep that in mind if I’m ever bored.” you smiled incredulously as you began to untie your apron. It only took a couple minutes before everything was back in its place and you were throwing on your jacket and scarf to head out. Papyrus holding the door open for you as you zipped up your jacket.

Across the street from your campus building was an adorable red convertible. Glancing over to Papyrus he was pressing a button to disarm the car. You got a little bit excited, you’ve never ridden in a convertible before. Then again it’s something that might be better appreciated on warm sunny days rather than on a dark windy night. Just as you were reaching for the handle of the car door you felt yourself being lifted off ground.

“Eep!” you chirped in response.

“D-did I hurt you?” Papyrus nervously asked.

“No, I..why are you lifting me over the door?”

“Oh! Force of habit, I’ve had to do this for Sans ever since the door got jammed. Undyne tends to slam things with a bit too much force…nyeheh.”

“Well I didn't exactly mind, just caught me off guard.” You secretly hoped he might offer to help you out of the car later on. “Also, how on earth did you make it over here in 18 minutes? I thought it would take at least 27 minutes.”

“I, the great Papyrus, was fortunate to get all red lights, Nyeheheh!”

Oh geez, were you even safe getting a ride with him? “But….red means stop.”

“WHAT!” Papyrus put more force than necessary onto the break at an upcoming red light. It sent you dangerously close to the dashboard if it wasn't for the seatbelt to stop you. 

“I thought blue was stop! Sans told me- oh wait I think he was talking about something else.” He smiled at you nervously over his mistake, “Don't worry human, I will take the utmost care to ensure you arrive safely. Even if I have to jump out of the car window to stop oncoming traffic.” His expression quickly oozed with confidence as though he were making a promise to himself that he must keep at all costs. You were going to make sure you took notice of his driving to see if walking to the bus at this hour was a preferred risk. 

Papyrus now drove at least 2 miles under the speed limit, slowing down for red lights as soon as the light changed no matter how far from it you were. After 15 minutes, Papyrus finally broke his concentration to speak. “I see you have been taking good care of it, the scarf.”

You started to blush realizing you had absentmindedly been curling your hands into the fabric with your face almost completely buried to keep warm. Glancing to look over at him, he was still focused on the road unaware of the hue now painting your cheeks.

“Yeah...it’s really nice and warm. I hope you don’t mind I’ve been using it throughout the week.”

“Of course not, I’m glad it’s been useful. It’s definitely been with me through a lot…” Papyrus trailed off in thought. 

You began to shuffle to take it off and threw the scarf back over his head before he could respond.

“You didn't need to return it yet, it's still not Saturday.” Papyrus responded in surprise.

“Well...I think it missed you.” You innocently smiled.

Papyrus looked back at you with a touched smile before rapidly looking back forward when he realized his eyes were off the road.

“Besides, I'm just going to turn up the heat in this car” You began playing with the temperature controls of the car before you found- “Oh my gosh! This car has butt warmers, neat!”

“That button activates a butt warmer?” Papyrus curiously asked “I always wondered what it was for!”

“Haha, well it warms up the seat, but yeah pretty much. Do you ever get cold or hot?” You were now extremely curious about his answer.

Papyrus tilted his head before answering, “I can tell the difference between hot and cold but I don't feel hot or cold. Does that make sense?”

You mulled around in your head what he just said and then placed your hand on his cheek bone making him jump slightly. 

“Can you tell my hand his warm?” Papyrus nervously nodded making you giggle in response. This caused his flush to spread further across his face. Noticing you pulled back your hand realizing what you had just done. “So I guess you can feel it but it doesn't make you sweat when the weather is hot or tremble when it's cold, is that right?” Again, Papyrus simply nodded a little calmer this time. The two of you spent the rest of the drive in silence, Papyrus focused on the road and you looking down at your hands.

\--------------------

“We have arrived, human!” Papyrus announced with joy.

Your eyes shifted up in surprise to find you were in the driveway of... his house? In response you gave Papyrus a confused look.

“I know I know, you wanted to go to the subway but I, the great Papyrus, couldn't let you go at this hour and so I came up with a brilliant plan! “ his excitement to explain nearly had him jumping in his seat. “What better way to make sure you're safe than to commence what I have named Operation Safety Sleepover!” He pointed his finger in the air as though he had just made an important point.

Eventually noticing your concerned expression, Papyrus began to sweat nervously, “Should I have told you the plan as I thought about it?”

You simply responded with a furious nod.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you'd like a visual for Oleander, here's a quick sketch I made of him.
> 
> [OLEANDER](http://fav.me/d9o31im)
> 
> He's albino with snow white hair that's a bit long and messy. His eyes are a piercing red, although it may look pinkish under certain lighting. He wears a v-neck shirt (heather forest green) and a long sweater (grey) with rolled up sleeves, the right side tends to fall off of his shoulder often. Faded skinny jeans (greyish blue), and his shoes vary from canvas Toms to leather oxfords. The pendant around his neck is a rectangle that's about 1x2x0.4 inches in dimensions and has a dark black/brown/silver mixture, remember it's stainless steel mixed with another material. It's probably hung with a hemp string, probably not a chain...or maybe..idk, string seems more stylish. He's a bit of a hipster, haha.
> 
>  
> 
> TL;DR version. The original draft of events that ultimately got changed, omitted, adjusted, or written out.
> 
> • Pick you up from school/meet to eat or something
> 
> • It had been a week or so, its Friday and you planned to meet on saturday
> 
> • Call paps for a ride because you're on campus late, no feel safe, he agree 
> 
> • He calls to say he arrive and you say hold on gotta clean up, he insists he helps already at door
> 
> • Wrong door but you call him over, he notices your hand has bits of clay and grabs it, you blushy and say its okay, washes off
> 
> • Oh snap plastic skeley spotted = shock/jealous/confusion OMG!
> 
> • Explain its plastic/artistic reasons and show what you’re working on
> 
> • Paps is amazed, asks if you’d sculpt him or show him how someday you blushy yes
> 
> • Then he exclaims a sculpture in Royal guard armor, where’s your mind at yo??
> 
> • Box of bones reminds him of his attacks, you explain how it helps to be able to see them individually, compare them to him, play with skelley arm?
> 
> • Tell difference between f/m skellie and paps eyes you and acknowledges it be true dat yo
> 
> • Blushy blushy but he cinammon roll dou
> 
> • He helps you clean, he strong, tall, efficient
> 
> • You leave and say to go to subway and he demands no cuz no safe! You can take his room and he’ll sleep on couch. 
> 
> • You agree for some dumb reason that helps the plot continue in an interesting direction


	4. Fluffy Bunny vs. Mew Mew Kissy Cutie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papyrus has come up with operation Safety Sleepover without consulting you first. It couldn't hurt to stay a little while but maybe you should get over to the bus stop. Just how great a host is Papyrus?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh geez, this chapter ended up really long. I may edit out some content later so that it's compressed with interesting events rather than having extra flourish in between moments. Enjoy the long version of the chapter for now.

Brushing your hair back with a sigh of exhaustion you looked back at Papyrus who was nervously awaiting your response,”Look, even if I was going to stay over I don't have a toothbrush, or pajamas, and I probably wouldn't feel comfortable sleeping on the sofa.”

Papyrus began nodding in thought before perking back up, “Oh, no worries I can solve all those problems! We have a couple of spare toothbrushes, I'll lend you some pajamas, and you can sleep in my room. I will gladly take the couch if it ensures your comfort.” Papyrus smiled at you as though he had resolved all that was wrong in the world.

“I don't know, maybe I should start walking towards the bus stop before the last shuttle leaves.” You began to reach over for the car handle but Papyrus grabbed your wrist gently to stop you. Looking back he was giving you puppy dog eyes and you could feel yourself submitting to his will.

“It doesn't work.” He said.

“What?”

“It's jammed, you have to jump over the door remember? I can help you. Uhm, that is if you would not mind.” Papyrus let go, bringing you closer back to reality. “But please don't go, I'm sure you'd be much safer and comfortable here.” His hand may have been gone but his eyes were still lulling you.

“Okay, fine! But next time can you please ask for my input first?” you surrendered.

“Yes, next time I will ask permission before I capture you!” Papyrus happily nodded in agreement.

“Capture??” You questioned in an exasperated gasp.

“Isn't that what you say when you bring someone to your house? I've only ever captured one other human, but they kept escaping. We started fighting about it and out of nowhere they started flirting with me. Their dating power was quite impressive, but it just was not meant to be so now we are happily in the friendzone.” you started to get lost in Papyrus’ rambling.

“Honestly I'm not sure if you're confusing the word capture with invite…. Am I going to be trapped in your house?”

“Nyeheheh, of course not. Undyne has no need for that anymore.” You weren't sure what that meant or if you even wanted to know.

Papyrus exited out of the car walking around to lift you out like a weightless doll. After arming the car he readied his keys to unlock the front door making sure you were close behind. Once inside, the both of you walked over to the kitchen to find Sans nodding off by the stove and an oversized casserole on the peak of boiling over.

“SANS!” Papyrus shouted.

“Huh, what?” Sans suddenly stirred awake, “Oh...sorry. I'm just really tired.”

Papyrus’ expression became soft in response as he walked over to his brother, placing a hand on his shoulder. “You've been up longer than normal this week, I'm sorry I pushed you so hard.”

“No, I'm fine. You haven't-”

“Shh shhh, it's okay brother. Let me carry you to your room so you can sleep.” Papyrus insisted. 

“Thanks bro…” Sans was already dozing off again as Papyrus lifted him onto his back. The smile that permanently marked his face was much more relaxed and genuine than you had ever seen it before. The moment was disrupted by a distinct sizzle coming from the stove, the water had finally boiled over. You ran over ensuring Papyrus you could handle things until he came back and it wasn't long before he returned.

“I turned down the heat and stirred the pasta. I think a few noodles got stuck to the bottom though. Do you need help with anything else?” you asked.

Papyrus gleamed with appreciation, “Can you grab a couple of jars of marinara sauce from the fridge? I made quite a lot earlier this week but I may need to make more for this last batch.” 

You started walking over to the fridge continuing your casual conversation, “Is Sans alright?”

“Sans usually helps me with cooking when he comes back from work but lately he hasn't been looking well. He would claim everything is fine, but I can tell something is really bothering him.”

“Mm, well it looks like you really care about him and he knows it. I'm sure he'll open up to you when he's ready.” You reached for the fridge door pulling it back with an unusual lack of force to find several cans of pasta and plumbing. “What am I looking at right now?”

“That's the sink, I made it taller so I could store more pasta in there, isn't it cool?”

You eyes strayed upwards to see the edge of the counter taking note this was probably a sink that only Papyrus was tall enough to use. Closing the cabinet doors you stepped back and found the fridge of similar height further down the kitchen. 

“It looks like there are still three jars left.” It didn't escape your attention to find most of the fridge’s contents was composed of leftover spaghetti and bottles of ketchup.

“Excellent, can you place them on the counter over there?”

“Sure thing.” You quickly placed the first two jars on the counter but after retrieving the third a sharp pain shot through your hand. Before you could recover you felt the glass jar slip out of your grasp and towards the floor. 

Crash! 

“I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I'll clean this up” you panicked looking back over to Papyrus who was clearly startled. 

Eyeing the floor and connecting the dots he responded, “No, that's okay the pasta is done cooking, I'll take care of the glass.”

“It was my fault I should-” Papyrus lifted you up similar to the way he had for the car. You couldn't look him in the eyes ashamed of your accident but mostly because you enjoyed when he picked you up. “...I should be the one to clean it up.”

“Nonsense! This is my house, I am the greatest of hosts, and I don't want you to get hurt.” He carefully placed you down on one of the island seats facing the stove. “I heard skin can be very sensitive to pain and you're covered in the squishy stuff.” you couldn't help but smile when he essentially called humanity squishy. 

Papyrus left for the pantry and returned looking like a spring cleaning warrior. “Besides this is nothing, Nyeheheh! You should see the mess in here when I give Undyne her cooking lessons. The ceiling is always the toughest part to clean.” 

It only took about 5 minutes before the glass was disposed of and the once marinara covered spot on the floor was now obviously cleaner than the floor around it. Papyrus changed back in the pantry and gave you a satisfied smile. “Come human, lets finish the pasta. We might still have enough sauce.” 

You hopped off of the tall chair happy to help again. This time being extra careful with your pained hand. After combining the marinara sauce, Papyrus brought out several plastic containers and the two of you began to package the pasta.

“Normally Sans would immediately put the pasta into the cans but we can use fire magic to reheat it later.” Papyrus commented has he placed the last bits of pasta into the fridge. “Are you alright, human?”

“Yes?” you questioned.

Walking over he carefully took your hand, “I noticed you were avoiding the use of this hand, this is also the one that dropped the glass jar is it not?” He began to turn it over, tracing his fingers over it as though to inspect it.

“Oh, that. I must have forced it too much sculpting this week. It doesn't happen all the time but sometimes I do end up with carpal tunnel.” Papyrus gave you a questioning look. “I used my hand too much and now when I strain it or move it a certain way I get a sharp pain.” You could feel him stiffen under your hand as you said the word pain. He lifted your hand being more gentle than you could've imagined, looking at it with curiosity and wonder.

“How do you fix it, human?” you chuckled at his innocent question.

“For the most part I just need to give it time to heal. Some people take pain relievers, get therapy, or wear a brace.”

“Therapy? Does talking about it help?”

“Heh, no. Physical therapy, usually that involves specific stretches and exercises, a massage, or placing little pads that send an electric current to relax the muscles.” Papyrus began petting and pinching your hand in an awkward combination causing you to laugh, “Are you trying to massage my hand?” He nodded in response slightly embarrassed. You pulled back your hand and began to massage it with the other, “Look here, the goal is to push and stretch the muscles. I'd demonstrate on yours but the lack of muscles would probably make that difficult.” 

“I think I got it!” Papyrus took your hand mimicking your demonstration as best he could with his phalanges.

“Augh! Son of a biscuit!” You instinctively pulled back trying to shake off the pain. Papyrus looked at you in shock.

“D-did...I break it?” You could still feel an echo of pain but couldn't help and laugh at his concern.

“No, you just put too much pressure on it.”

“Can, I try again?” Papyrus held out his hand for yours but you were hesitant to comply.

“Uhm, how about later? I'm just going to lay off using it tonight.” Papyrus pulled back his hand slightly disappointed but it seemed he still understood. As was his staple it only took a moment before he perked back up.

“Oh, oh! I know human, I can be your other hand for the night! Let me help you get ready for bed.” You couldn't stand the thought of crushing the glowing hope emanating from him. Of course he didn't hurt you on purpose and it wasn't exactly that painful….okay, well it was, but still he didn't mean it.

“Sure, Papyrus.” you noticed a faint flush rise to his cheek bones at the mention of his name and it looked as though his joy had multiplied. His smile was infectious and you could feel one spreading across your own face.

“Come with me, let me show you where the bathroom is and give you a tour of my room.” you nodded and followed after him up the stairs. Finally getting a better view of the doors you had curiously looked up at the week before. The first door was covered in signs and posters you'd expect to see from a 12 year old boy. The next two doors were seemingly normal and plain but the last one had a strange glow coming from underneath it. You looked back at Papyrus to see if he noticed but paid no attention. 

“This is where you'll be sleeping, in the best room of the house. Nyeheheh!” Of course his room was the first one. He opened the door leading you in and the first thing to catch your attention was his...race car bed. A laugh escaped you but you quickly covered your mouth in an attempt to muffle the sound and hide your guilty smile.

“Bless you! Do you need a tissue?” You shook your head rapidly in response hoping he wouldn't see the smile in your eyes. “Here is my super cool bed where I used to practice driving, my closet where I keep all my special clothes, my action figure collection which is a bit of a mess right now because I had Fluffy Bunny go to battle with the Mew Mew Kissy Cuties and well things got out of hand.... Feel free to play with them if you'd like.” Papyrus kept going on to mention his expansive collection of storybooks that Sans helped him collect, the box of bones he mentioned earlier on campus including some which were faintly blue, and gave a small speech on his theories about skeletons on pirate flags. Afterwards he led you to the bathroom. “Sans and I have been wondering what this mini whirlpool is for. Is it a disposal until?”

“You mean the toilet?”

“Toy...let?”

“Don't you need to...doesn't food...I've seen you guys eat but….” How did they not know what a toilet was???

“Could you demonstrate how it is meant to be used?”

“N-no!” you tensed up but it seemed to concern Papyrus. “When humans eat, some of the food stays to nourish the body and then the left overs get ‘disposed of’ in the toilets. Is that not true for monsters?”

“Oh, I see! So that's why human food causes people to go to the bathroom! But why not just throw it away in the garbage?”

You grumbled to yourself not wanting to get into specifics, “well….this is very special garbage that has to be...disposed of..in a special way. It can be a very personal and private thing. Besides isn't your spaghetti made of human food?” You attempted to shift the conversation into a different direction.

“Actually I get all of my ingredients from the monster market. You'd be surprised at the variety of food substitutes we have. I assure it is very nutritious though, magic food is 100% absorbed by the soul.”

“So none of it actually goes to the stomach?”

“Why would it go there?” Papyrus looked at you curiously.

“Nevermind” that would actually explain why you were always left feeling a bit empty after eating Spaghettoyardee. You had always figured it was just the small portions but then again it did also leave you feeling full enough until your next meal. 

“I’ll be right back with some clothes, here’s the toothbrush. Let me know if you need anything else.” Papyrus left to what sounded like a door further down the hallway. You peered over to the toilet and to your relief there was toilet paper, although it was covered in dust. Maybe it’s been there since before the skeleton brothers moved in. Taking the packaged toothbrush you quickly peeled it out. It was purple with red flames decorating the back, you were fairly certain this was a replacement brush for Papyrus. On the bathroom counter were three different toothpastes spearmint, peppermint, and ‘original’. You went for the spearmint and began brushing your teeth. A couple of knocks came at the door but before you could respond Papyrus was already peeking in.

“Do you need help with brushing your teeth?”

“No” you smiled in response.

Papyrus placed some clean clothes on the counter and waited to see if you needed help with anything else. Reaching for the faucet Papyrus clambered to turn it on before you. You leaned over the sink to spit out the toothpaste and could feel Papyrus hold your hair back. After rinsing out your mouth you finally managed a thank you.

“So I got you clothes from Sans room since mine would probably be much too big but I'm sure you will still look very cool.”

“Is Sans alright with that?” You didn't like the thought of upsetting him.

“He is fast asleep, but I'm sure he won't mind.” Papyrus replied with positive certainty.

“I can just sleep in my clothes, it isn't an issue. Sometimes I do that when I'm really tired.”

“Nonsense, I told you I would ensure your comfort” Papyrus reached for your shirt and began lifting it before you could process what he was doing.

“STOP!” you instinctively shouted and Papyrus flinched back in response. Your heart was pounding against your chest from the shock and you could feel your face heat up. Looking up at Papyrus he appeared nervous as sweat began to form on his temples. A sudden realization seemed to hit him and a familiar tinge subtly colored his face.

“Oh, I'm sorry human! I'm just….I'm so used to taking care of Sans….I forgot...I didn't mean… I WILL GO GUARD THE DOOR NOW!” Papyrus ran out nearly tripping on the bathroom mat and finally left slamming the door recklessly. You took a moment to calm yourself noticing just how obviously you were blushing in the mirror. Letting out an exhausted sigh you changed into the white T-shirt and black sweatpants which belonged to Sans. The shirt fit you perfectly, if not comfortably loose, while the sweats just barely reached your ankles. Sans was slightly shorter than you now that you thought about it. Peaking out from the bathroom Papyrus had his back to the door. His face was buried into the phalanges of his hand, a hint of nervous sweat still present, as well as a distinct hue of red on his cheekbones. 

“I'm done with the bathroom” you spoke up causing him to jump.

“P-please feel free to go to sleep at your convenience. I will prepare to go to sleep myself. Don't hesitate to wake me up if you need anything, nyeheh.” Papyrus kept his back to you as though you couldn't already tell he was still embarrassed.

“Sure thing, I'll probably go to sleep right now.” You walked out and started heading towards Papyrus’ room. You looked back hoping Papyrus would meet your gaze but he didn't. Just as you were about to close yourself into his room you spoke up, “Hey Papyrus?”

“Y-yes?” He now overcame the hesitation to look back at you.

“Thank you for letting me stay here, not everyone would be so...quick and dedicated to helping others.” You gave him a soft smile which he returned. 

“Any time and every time, human.” the words filled you with comfort and peace. With that he went into the bathroom to pursue his own bed time routine. At this point it was nearing 2 am and you could feel yourself fall straight to sleep as your head hit the pillow. You didn't dream of anything though. 

Your eyes fluttered open to the sound of the door knob being turned. The sound continued for a while as though there was a struggle and it was too dark to see if the door knob was actually being turned.

“P-papyrus?” You almost whispered not knowing if you wanted to call attention to yourself. 

The sound stopped and you couldn't tell if that relieved you or frightened you more. A few minutes of silence pass and you wonder if you had imagined it but then suddenly you saw the door slowly open. You could see a dark figure slowly enter the room but before your eyes could adjust you threw the blanket over yourself as though it could turn you invisible. Footsteps were raggedly making their way to the bed and you could feel yourself beginning to tremble. Closer and closer the sound of the last step distinctly at the edge of the bed and then….nothing. You waited shielded by the fabric not willing to peek out but instead preparing yourself to start scratching and kicking anything that might start attacking you. Just as your muscles began to relax something hard and heavy hit the bed just a couple inches next to you. You felt the warm breath of something brush your face through the fabric making you recollect a frenzy of horror movie scenes. Then your ears nearly started bleeding at the sound of someone snoring unbearably loud right into your ear. Each snore ending with a whispery ‘nyeheheh’.

“Papyrus?!” you threw the blanket off of yourself to find him snoring next to you. Did he sleepwalk back to his room? Perhaps sleeping on the sofa wasn't such a bad option you pondered. Not wanting to disturb his sleep you attempted to climb over the sleeping skeleton. Before you could pull your other arm and leg over him and off the bed Papyrus began to shift his position. You froze hoping he wouldn't push you off balance causing you to fall on him but instead his arms found their way around you. All you needed to do was brush them off and continue on but as you tried to push his arms they wouldn't budge an inch. This was a problem, you hovered over Papyrus contemplating what to do, but before you could come up with a solution his arms tightened around your body. You fell onto him unable to move against his strength, your heart betraying you as it began to pick up speed. Papyrus continued shifting in his sleep causing you to be pulled down to his side like a teddy bear at a child's mercy.

“Uh, Papyrus you need to wake up now. Seriously, wake up. Come on!” You tried to nudge and shake him but still he wouldn't budge. Gently knocking on his forehead it seemed to get a response from him, his face contorting unpleasantly. 

“Wake uuuup already, plea- eep!” His arms tighten around you trapping you against his ribcage and his jaw snuggling into the top of your head. “P-pPapyrus!” You felt yourself get a little dizzy as you panicked to wake him up. Your heart was picking up with no sign of slowing and your face turning red. “Oh gosh please just wake up already, I can't move!” Trying your best to squirm out of his grasp it proved more than futile. His grip may have been tight but was in no way rough. It felt like your were being coddled as he hugged you against his body. The warmth of his breath brushed against your hair and his previous snoring subsided into a rhythm of calm breathing. Knowing there was no clear escape your muscles relaxed against him and you decided wait him out as you calmed your breathing. Surely he'd shift in his sleep again giving you back your freedom. 

Minutes pass of nothing until suddenly you're hit with a strong pang of vertigo. For a moment you feel weightless and like you're falling at the same time, trying to reach out for balance you ended up rolling off the bed. Looking back up you saw Sans snickering at you. Papyrus was gone, or rather you weren't in his room anymore. Before you could get a word out you ended up throwing up into the trash can that was conveniently next you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TL;DR version. The original draft of events that ultimately got changed, omitted, adjusted, or written out.
> 
> • Where will I sleep? I don't even have a toothbrush here, paps you can't just force someone to sleep at your house without asking first  
> • They have a spare toothbrush, can sleep in his room and he'll take couch.  
> • You don't like the idea of being out later so you hesitantly accept offer, also feel bad scolding him  
> • At his house now after being picked up from school, paps lets sans know what up  
> • sans is nodding off and pasta is boiling over  
> • SANS OMG! sorry bro...whats she doing here?  
> • Safety Sleepover Nyeh! Sans be like….dude and you look at him with agreement, he scoffs and walks past you grumbling how you couldve said no  
> • Help Papyrus finish cooking and when paps hands something to you it drops and crash bam you’re a horrible guest with noodle hands  
> • Paps is all like wut wrong wit you????  
> • Carp..pal…tunnel….nuuuuunununu I hate it nuuu  
> • Paps has absolutely no idea what you’re talking about because…magic and no muscles  
> • You have to freaking explain everything gosh go to school and be edumacated already paps  
> • But he cute, he takes your hand and massages to help and you blushy like yah always do because readers like blushy moments or maybe I just like lots of blushy moments….can’t overdo it  
> • Anyways it kind of hurts which worries paps but you say its fine and normal too.  
> • I’d escalate to arms and shoulders but geez louise they just met guys calm down, probably later on or from sans idk.  
> • You thank him but he’s still worried so he opens all doors for you, brings you pajamas, brushes your teeth (gettin weird now) helps you undress….noNO you stop him lol  
> • You hit the hay paying attention to paps room and details like action figure, Royal guard man costume he mentioned peeking through closet, Google what else he has….you’re supposed to notice race car bed….did he give tour before? Idk or let you look around?  
> • You doze off and eventually open your eyes hearing the door open, you’re facing away from door and slight!y scared, calling if its paps but you get no answer so idk you hide under the sheets.  
> • Body falls on the bed suddenyl like a friggin whale/dolphin and you hear paps snore suuuuuper loud right.in.your.eeeeeeeear and exhales a quiet nyeheheheh  
> • Is…is he sleep walking or did he just forget you were staying over?  
> • You decide to try and crawl over him to get off the bed and sleep on the sofa buuuut…he graaaabs you yuuush like the teddy bear you feel like you are in his arms  
> • You kind of laugh and push aside his arms….they don’t budge the friggin 1 pair of arms out of four that don’t recommend getting budged  
> • Uhm uhm omg your heart you are the freaking out!  
> • Yo paps wake up dawg!  
> • Seems bothered from your attempt but just responds by pulling you closer  
> • Your heart has adopted the phrase gotta go fast its only a matter of time before it turns blue  
> • You’re too embarrassed to speak, trying to shut your eyes and think about something else  
> • Suddenly you're filled with vertigo and nausea  
> • You’re in sans room now, boom!


	5. You're Gonna Have a Bed Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rescued from the sleepy grasp of Papyrus you find yourself in another predicament being trapped in San's room.

“What just happened? Was that a dream or….is this a dream? You know what? Just...no. Nope, I'm getting out of here and walking home if I have to.” Still feeling a little queasy, you headed for the door.

“I mean you can try but the door isn't real.” You heard Sans respond.

“Why would you have a fake door? Don't tell me it was Undyne.” you gave him an incredulous look but he appeared to laugh at the last part.

“Hey, it's your dream, kiddo,” he simply shrugged “but don't worry, I'm sure it's going tibia okay.”

“Uuuugh, even in my dreams you're going to be making puns?” Sans chuckled in response to your frustration. “So what now? Do I just wait it out? Pinch myself awake, maybe? Does that work?” You went to pinch your arm but was shocked from the pain of your carpal tunnel. “Ah! Wrong hand! Why did I use that hand? Ow! Ooow! Stupid carpal tunnel!” 

Hopping off of a bare mattress, Sans approached you and took your hand, “Here let me help.” Reflexively you pulled back.

“After Papyrus’ attempt I'm not sure I can trust another skeleton to help with this.” You nervously laughed.

“Come on, you can trust me. I can guarantee that I'm a bone-afide expert.” You rolled your eyes but Sans took back your hand.

“I said no.” You pulled back but Sans wasn't letting go this time.

”Look kid, I have a friend who teaches at a local school nearby. She can get carried away with making pies for bake sales and I mean enough to literally fill a room to the ceiling. Sometimes she gets carpal tunnel and I've gotten pretty good at helping her out with the pain, now sit down.” he pulled your arm over to the bare bed and waited for you to take a seat which you complied reluctantly. His eyes began to look you up and down and it felt as though you were being... judged.

“W-what? Am I sitting weird or something?” 

“No, just thought that was a nice outfit.” he smirked.

You looked down, reminded that they belonged to Sans, “Oh...yeah I told Papyrus I could sleep in my own clothes but he insisted I change and brought me something from your room.”

“Just don't get too comfortable in them or I might have to take them back by force.” 

“D-dont worry I'll return them in the morning, you know, after I wake up and find my clothes.”

“Well what if I wanted them back now?” He smiled at you teasingly. It made you upset, but he still held your arm keeping you from moving away. Instead you tried to kick him but he easily dodged. “I’ll tell you what, you can keep the clothes for $5.” 

“No…”

“You're right, that's way too low, $50 then.”

“I don't want to buy your clothes, Sans..even if they’re comfortable.”

“Right, I almost forgot the comfort tax, $500 final offer.”

“I’ll return them later!” You began swinging your legs trying to land a blow but Sans laughed as he managed to dodge every single kick.

“Just sit still already or it's going to hurt.” Pulling your arm he forced you forward, almost throwing you off balance, to get you sitting on the very edge of the bed. Turning your palm up he stroked the phalanges of his thumb from your wrist to the bend of the elbow while applying a light pressure. 

“That's not my hand.”

“Just starting at the source.” He continued on quietly and to your surprise he actually did seem to know what he was doing. “I'll need to add more pressure, which might not feel comfortable, so maybe we should talk about something to get your mind off of it.”

“Sure.”

“Alright, so what do you think of skeletons?” the question caught you off guard and reminded you of something Papyrus had mentioned when you first met.

“Well, I'm an artist and I have to study a lot about the human form. I suppose I think it's really cool there are skeleton monsters. My inner artist always seems to come out and appreciate seeing anatomy in action.”

“Hey, want to hear a fun anatomy fact?” Sans asked and you eagerly nodded. “Did you know the average human body contains enough bones to make an entire human skeleton?” He smiled at you expectantly and you just let out an impatient sigh.

“Why do you care what I think about skeletons?”

“Just curious. Not every human is fond of monsters.” He paused for a moment and looked down in thought. “Then there are some humans who are strangely obsessed with us.” he was focused on your arm but glanced up for a moment to see your reaction. You may have been a bit obsessed, but that was with anatomy not monsters, right? 

Sans let out a chuckle as though your expression had betrayed you but there seemed to be an edge to it. “What do you think of my brother?” 

At the mention of his name, the memories of Papyrus holding you in bed flooded back. You could feel your face heat up and your mind draw a blank. “I...uhm,” your struggled thought was interrupted by a pain that shot up your arm causing you to draw a sharp breath.

“Oops, looks like I found a tender spot” he lazily responded, his grip tightened around your arm briefly before letting go. “You know, I'm a skeleton….” Sans started to lean in close, but his expression was brooding. The thought of Papyrus had left your face flush but the atmosphere was starting to make you feel uneasy. Instinctively you scooted back onto the mattress but Sans followed with a devious smile. “You could be with me, you know. Why settle for Papyrus? Or are you worried you'll have a bad time?” You kept moving backwards but he continued after you. His pace was eerily calm as he crawled forward, bringing you to the edge of the uncovered mattress and pinned against the wall.

“Sans this isn't funny, stop it.” You managed to force out. 

He stood up over you, the light in his eyes blinked out leaving two voids that appeared to pierce the depths of your soul. He began to chuckle darkly and it reverberated across the room. It felt like all the alarms in your brain were going off, you had to get out of here. Attempting to push yourself off the wall to scramble off the bed, Sans was a step ahead of you already pressing his heel onto your chest. The force he applied had you back against the wall with an audible thud that left you breathless. 

“Where do you think you're going?” the words slipped through his teeth as his left eye blazed to life with a fierce blue that glowed impressively. With the snap of his boney fingers, something formed in the back of the room. Two oversized and menacing skulls that appeared animal hovered behind Sans and your body began to tremble without consent. The two animal skulls cracked opened their jaws to reveal a building energy that hummed causing the room to subtly shake.

Sans leaned on his lifted foot, forcing the weight of his body onto your chest. He continued forward until he was just an inch away, his breath pouring across your face. You wanted to look away but he grabbed your chin to prevent it. The energy building within the animal skulls seemed to reach capacity and were aimed towards you. This didn't look like it would end well. 

“Hey….” You heard Sans whisper and he waited for your eyes to meet his. “Get dunked on.” 

The skulls suddenly released a burst of energy blinding the room with a magnificent white light.

“NO!” you screamed lunging forward. Your heart was going a mile per minute but you weren't in Sans room anymore. It was Papyrus’ room.

BAM! The door to the bedroom burst open in a dramatic fashion causing you to jump. “HUMAN! I HEARD YOU SCREAM!” Papyrus rushed in looking around the room for danger as he swung around a spatula. “Did... I intimidate the danger away?” His eyes finally met yours and then widened. “What happened to you!”

“Huh?” You looked down to see you were completely drenched in sweat, even the sheets beneath you were faintly stained. “Oh...my gosh. I’m so sorry. I was having a nightmare and I must have been-” Papyrus sat on the edge of the bed and took your hands into his.

“Human, you’re trembling.” Looking down you finally noticed the trembling from your dreams had continued into reality as your hands shook even in Papyrus’ grasp. “If you want to talk about it I’ll listen, of course. Sans often has nightmares but he usually won’t come to me about it so I understand if it’s personal.”

“Actually I uh...I dreamt I was about to get blasted by lasers. I woke up right before impact I guess.” you continued to look down at your hands in his.

“Was it a monster attacking you?”

“Uhm, I suppose you could say that.” You didn't want to admit it was his brother plaguing your dreams. 

Papyrus leaned his head down as though to implore your gaze “I can assure you, that even if you had been attacked, you would have been okay. A human soul is much stronger than a monster soul. In fact, it would probably take every monster soul to equal the power of a single human soul.” Papyrus squeezed your hands to further comfort you.

“Is that true?”

Papyrus pulled you forward and engulfed you in a tight hug, “I am absolutely 100% super duper completely sure.” gently pushing you back by the shoulders he continued, “If you’d like I could show you my special attack or better yet you can join me during one of my training sessions with Undyne.”

“Are you training for something?”

“Well, not anymore. It used to be for getting into the Royal Guard but that disbanded after the barrier was broken. Now it’s just a thing we do. ”

“Maybe I could join you some time.” You smiled at him and he seemed to be making plans in his head already until he snapped out of it.

“OH NO! I completely forgot about the food!” Just as quickly as Papyrus had rushed in, he stumbled out of the room. You could even hear him tumble down the stairs. Guess that was your cue to get ready.

Hopping off the bed you nearly waddled to the bathroom not liking the sensation of the clothes sticking to you. How you weren’t dehydrated, you couldn’t tell. Inside the bathroom you saw your clothes from yesterday neatly folded up with a note on top. It read:

//Good Morning!!!!

I have taken the liberty of washing your clothes for you  
so that you would have something clean to wear. Feel free to use the shower, there is plenty of toothpaste to wash with. -//

You stopped reading and pulled back the shower curtain. No shampoo or body wash, just several tubes of toothpaste and bottles of mouthwash. What? How much spaghetti does Papyrus even cook to not to smell like a peppermint?

//I was not sure if you would need undergarments but since Sans’ clothes fit you so well I thought I'd leave a pair of boxers. -//

Again you stopped reading the note and inspected the folded pile of clothing. Sure enough there was a pair of black boxers spotted with white bones. You face palmed as you groaned Papyrus’ name. The pants you wore were clearly drenched in sweat and you didn't even want to know the damage done to the garments underneath. 

“I can't use these boxers, can I? I suppose reusing my underwear might be worse though.”….you shivered at the thought. “Sans wouldn't let me live this through...wait no, I'm thinking of dream Sans which could be worse. There is no way I'm going commando though. Maybe I can throw these clothes into the laundry with the bed sheets and take them out before Papyrus’ finds them. I guess that could work but that would still mean wearing these boxers even if it's for a short time. Whatever, I guess that works.” You continued reading the note.

//They are the cool ones so you can feel cool about looking cool. Let me know if you need anything else.

Nyehfully yours,  
The Great Papyrus//

You pinched the bridge of your nose as the words slowly sank in. Peering back up you noticed a bar of soap next to the sink. It was probably for washing your hands with but you imagined it would work better than toothpaste. Hopeful again you grabbed it, slipped out of Sans clothes, and hopped into the shower. Once out you put on your t-shirt taking note that you'll have to wash your bra since you slept with it on. Thankfully it was cold enough to wear your jacket inside so no one would be able to tell. Next you grumbled as you put on the boxers and of course, they fit perfectly. After getting your jeans on you were unhappy to find that it felt more like you were wearing shorts under your jeans rather than actual underwear but it would have to do. 

Hiding your underwear under Sans clothes you bundled up everything and walked back to Papyrus’ room. The sheets had already been changed, crud. 

“Papyrus”, you called out from the balcony. In a matter of seconds he appeared at the entrance of the kitchen hands full with laundry.

“Yes, human?” 

“Great, you haven't put it to wash yet, can I add Sans’ clothes to the load?”

“Of course, that would be most efficient!”, he smiled back.

Running down the stairs you placed the bundle of clothes on top hoping and praying that Papyrus would just throw everything in without pulling things apart. You followed him through the kitchen but the wafting aroma of breakfast stopped you in your tracks. Papyrus continued through the door which you assumed led to the garage while you made a beeline for the island. On it was a plate with biscuits, 2 sunny side up eggs and a bowl of fruit. Gosh, you felt like you were in some fancy bed and breakfast. Next to the plate was an assortment of spreads for the biscuit and a glass of orange juice. This was for you right? On the stove lay almost a dozen biscuits on a pan, they were home made!

Well, it couldn’t hurt to take at least one if there were more. Gingerly picking up the biscuit you could feel the warmth of the baked good in your fingers. Your mouth started to water before taking a bite, but when you did the flavor was amazing. Buttery and sweet, the biscuit was fluffy on the inside and flaky on the outside. This was the best thing you had eaten in months! You wanted to cry, wait no your eyes were already watering up!

“Human, I see you are already enjoying breakfast!” Papyrus cheered from behind you.

“Is this all for me?” you muffled out as you looked back.

“Who else would it be for? Oh, are those...tears of appreciation?” Papyrus hesitantly asked but you nodded furiously to ensure he knew they were. “Wow, and to think Sans thought I should have made nothing but water sausages and bacon for breakfast. That would have been like cooking pure grease which I could never allow, I do have standards.” you giggled in response and continued eating, finally taking a seat. Papyrus began cleaning up the kitchen while humming an unfamiliar tune.

“Where is Sans by the way?” you couldn’t help but talk with your mouth full, of delicious food, but Papyrus was facing the other way.

“I imagine he’s already at work. He left before the biscuits were done but I did give him a boiled egg and left over pasta to go.”

“Oh, where does he work?”

“Over at the mall, he runs one of those kiosks with cellphone covers. Sometimes I stop by to bring him lunch but I’ve never seen him sell anything. He’s usually just sleeping or looking at his own phone. I have a feeling he has other jobs as well but that’s the only one he admits to having. He always looks exhausted whenever he comes back home.” Papyrus paused in the middle of wiping flour off the counter, as though he were hesitant to continue, “Back in Snowdin, our home underground, Sans would pay all the bills. After coming to the surface we found out that monster currency was literally gold to humans and before I knew it Sans had bought this house, furnished it, and surprised me with a car in the garage. I had a feeling we didn't have much saved up after that.” 

Your jaw literally dropped, never would you have imagined that pun making, lazy looking bag of bones actually went all out to look after his brother. “Wow”

“He even to offered to pay for my classes at culinary school, but I refused. I took up a part time job as a teacher’s aid at Toriel’s school to pay for them. I am unsurprisingly very popular among children, Nyeheheh.” you could definitely imagine him getting along well with kids. “I’m hoping that my line of canned pasta can eventually earn enough to be self sufficient.”

“Well as your number one fan, I will support and help you to the best of my abilities.” It seemed to cheer up Papyrus as his smile, full of warmth, widened. “Now are we going to try some of your new recipes or what?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At the time of posting this chapter I'm pretty tired/sleepy so let me know if the flow of the chapter seems off somewhere or if anything else seems off. Night...Morning...or whatever time it is where you awesome guys are. Hopefully I'll dream of skeletons! And yes...I am having fun with naming the chapters.


	6. It's GOOD String

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papyrus wasn't expecting you to stay over and the two of you decide to make a visit to the mall before trying new recipes.

Papyrus began sweating like he was in a sauna with a nervous expression.

“O-oh no, you must have been so excited to have more of my pasta today. I actually wasn't expecting to have you over so soon so I don't exactly have the ingredients yet.”

“If you need to go buy food I don't mind, I can join you.”

“Yes, I'm sure you're eager to get the ingredients so we can commence the taste testing but I actually made plans with Sans, to see a movie.”

“Papyrus, I just ate an awesome breakfast. I can wait to eat, don't worry. While you guys watch the movie I can do some window shopping or maybe catch up with my online class using my phone.”

He finally started to calm down as though relieved you had not been disappointed by the wait. “Do you need to purchase a window? I can recommend a store. Undyne and I have another thing that involves jumping through windows and epic landings. The results are usually quite messy however and she never helps me clean. She does pay to fix the damages though.”

“Hahaha, I need to meet this Undyne already. But no, I didn't mean I need to shop for an actual window, just look around at the window displays at the mall.”

“Would you not like to join us at the movies?” 

“Oh” you started doing the math in your head of how much a movie ticket cost versus the amount of money you needed for food and travel. You'd have to eat a lot of ramen but it was doable. “Yeah, I'd like that actually.”

“Squee! This going to be so much fun! Let's go!”

“Right now?” You asked but Papyrus had already swept you off the chair and into his arms carrying you like a princess. As he ran clumsily you had to wrap your arms around his neck to keep from falling. He literally kicked the entrance door open which you were pretty sure opened into the house and not out. Continuing to run down the walkway he essentially threw you into the passenger seat of his convertible.

If he hadn't turned around so quickly he probably would have noticed you were only halfway in the car. Your legs stuck out and over the broken door and you laid back sprawl across the passenger and driver seat.

“I must be right back, I have to lock the house.” Papyrus announced as he left for the house. Before he came back you used the steering wheel to lift yourself up, feeling grateful that the seats were actually quite cushioned. Papyrus soon returned and reminded you to buckle your seatbelt as he did for himself.

It was a short drive to the mall and there was even a parking spot waiting. The space was essentially reserved with Sans bike lazily laying flat on the ground. After Papyrus threw the bike into the trunk of his car, you headed for the entrance to the mall.

It was unsurprisingly crowded for being the weekend. Families, teens, and the occasional monster walking about. There were even some new monster stores that had opened up you hadn't seen before. Without much money to spend, you rarely ever had a reason to come to the mall. Even when you did, you usually just window shopped, had fun trying on a ridiculous amount of clothes, and mentally made a wish list for the future.

“Papy~ Dearie~ There you are, Sans mentioned I might see you today.” An unfamiliar voice called out and you saw it came from one of the new monster businesses, Muffets’ Bakery. 

Inside was a monster girl waving for Papyrus to come over with two of her spider arms. What you wouldn't give to see an X-ray to know if she had a skeleton or just an exoskeleton like normal spiders. Monster anatomy was a whole other unexplored area of study that enticed you. It didn't seem like something you could casually bring up in conversation, though.

“Greetings Muffet, how is business going today?” Papyrus inquired walking over.

“Absolutely wonderful, I even had some generous patrons who donated money to help pay for school equipment at Toriel’s school. I can never thank her enough for using the proceeds from one of her bake sales to ensure the school was equipped with spider facilities. The spider baseball field was a nice touch as well, ahuhuhuhu~” 

Toriel was another unfamiliar name along with Undyne. You had heard stories that the underground was starting to reach capacity just before the barrier was broken. It made you wonder how close everyone was to each other. If it had the feeling of a small town where everyone knew one another or if perhaps it was like the world you knew. Where you could be in the middle of a crowd of thousands and still not know the name of a single person. The thought left you feeling a little empty but was promptly interrupted by Muffet gently tapping your nose.

“And who is this precious little thing? If Papyrus wasn't here I might have considered baking you into a delicious cake.” Something about her expression made you feel like she wasn't joking.

“She is my number one, bestest fan! She is not for eating!” Papyrus scolded.

“Ahuhuhuhu, don't worry pet. If I harmed a human my sales would go down. It's already difficult enough to get people to try my goods. Would you like to sample some Spider Cider Tea? It turns your soul purple.” Muffet seemed to gush at the last part.

“Purple?” You asked confused.

“Papy Dearie~ has the human seen their soul? If they haven't I really don't want to cause a scene. Oh~ but you must have them try the tea later. She’s sure to come back for more once she’s had it. “ using one of her lower arms she reached underneath the cabinet to pull out a packaged bag of tea and handed it for you to take. “The tea is caffeine free but it does contain magic and will boost your energy with Perseverance~ Take it whenever you like but if you want to have more fun, drink it somewhere with a lot of monsters.” she finished with a wink or rather winking all of her right eyes. What would happen if you were around monsters?

“Thank you, I’ll try it later.” you took the tea feeling it would be rude not to and placed it securely in your jacket pocket. 

“The human and I must go meet up with Sans now!”

“Toodles~” Muffet waved the fingers of the arm she had leaning on the counter.

Just as you were going to follow Papyrus out, you noticed something familiar from your peripheral.

“Oleander? What are you doing here?” you smiled as you walked over to the table within the bakery. It definitely was him, his snow white hair would make him stand out anywhere.

“Oh, hello. Just...reading this book here, enjoying some tea” he seemed to hesitate with his words, even struggling to make eye contact.

“Greetings, are you friends with the human?” Papyrus joined in and Oleander appeared uncertain with how to answer, silently giving you a glance for input.

“Well, we only briefly met on Thursday. I don’t think there was enough time to really become friends.” you tried to answer truthfully.

“We are going to see the new Mettaton movie! You should come join us so we can all become friends!” Papyrus was eager to help a new friendship bloom but Oleander’s eyes dropped back to his book.

“Actually, I’ve already seen it.” looking down you noticed he was impatiently tapping his foot on the ground. 

Maybe he got to a really good part in the book and approaching him just broke the immersion. He seemed nice when you met him though so perhaps he was waiting to meet someone or maybe even trying to avoid unwanted attention from someone or something. It didn’t help to have a skeleton, whose voice was slightly above what you’d call an indoor voice, chatting you up. You could already see people looking over. Thinking quick you tried to give Oleander a subtle thumbs up and wink before grabbing Papyrus’ arm.

“I’m sure we’ve kept you busy long enough. Come on Papyrus, let’s get the tickets before the next showtime sells out. I bet the movie is super popular!” you began pulling him out of the bakery without letting him have a chance to respond. Looking back you gave Oleander another thumbs up. His expression was a bit surprised but he gave you back a smile of relief and a subtle nod. Maybe living skeletons made him uncomfortable?

Finally out and a good distance from the bakery you stopped and looked at Papyrus, “Actually I have no idea where we’re going. We need to find Sans first, right?”

“Nyeheheh, yes. We are actually walking in the opposite direction.”

“Oops, sorry heh.”

“It’s quite alright, I found it amusing. Like watching someone trying to figure out a puzzle. I am happy to let you take lead to find Sans.” he smiled hoping he could continue watching you play ‘Where's the Lazy Skeleton.’

“No no, that’s alright I’ll just follow you.” 

In response, Papyrus dramatically pointed in the correct direction, “THIS WAY HUMAN!” he proclaimed and marched on with confidence. A lot of strange looks came in his direction but you didn’t care. He made you happy and onlookers weren’t going to change that.

“He should be right around thi-” he stopped abruptly and you ended up walking right into his back. Without a word Papyrus grabbed your arm, giving you little time to find balance as he pulled you into the store you were passing. Stopping behind a rack of pajamas he pulled the garments to the side and peeked through where there was one of the display windows. You waited in shocked silence not knowing what was happening. 

“My brother…” he turned to look back at you, his expression grave, “Is actually working! I’ve never seen this happen, he’s selling something right now! Look!” he quickly turned back to continue watching.

Peering through the pajamas, your face side by side with Papyrus, you saw a kiosk with a customer talking to Sans. He was actually getting along with the customer having an unknown conversation. They even laughed, likely one of his jokes. Sans looked content and the customer looked happy with their purchase as they walked away. The short skeleton then took a seat on his high chair, stretched with a yawn, and placed a magazine over his face like an oversized eye mask. He’s literally just going to take a nap.

“Eh-hem!” the voice of a woman beckoned for your attention. “If you are not here to shop then I must ask you to leave, other customers are becoming concerned.”

“Oh, uh, greetings! Ah, yes we are here to purchase-” Papyrus grabbed the first thing he could find from a nearby table. He turned it in his hand to inspect it and it looked like a jumbled piece of string. “This uh….this...fancy floss?” he continued turning it in his hand trying to identify the object but then it clicked in your head. Oh my gosh he was holding a thong. You looked around and finally saw you were in a lingerie store. Oh my gosh and he just told that lady it was floss.

“HaHa..Ha-” You nervously forced a laugh, as you took the garment from Papyrus’ grasp and handed it to the women. “He’s joking of course. I’m here to buy some…Oh wait! I actually need- I mean… Yes, I’m here to buy some underwear.” 

Grabbing Papyrus’ hand you scurried past the sales associate but you could feel her gaze burning into you from behind. Knowing she wouldn't let up until she actually saw you buy something you stopped at a table covered in an assortment of underwear. Finding the most plain pair of panties possible you had to settle for a baby blue, pair of briefs. Literally shaking it in the air like a flag at the sales associate to signal you found what you were looking for. She simply raised her brow as though asking you to prove you'd purchase it.

“Papyrus, I'm going to go buy this or that lady might cause a commotion.” You sighed as you walked over to the cash registers. Slamming the garment on the counter as your final act of frustration, it caused the monster behind the register to jump.

“Like, hello I am Catty. Is this everything?” You nodded and she was quick to scan the tag and pull up your total which rounded up to $9. 

Geez it was just one pair of underwear and it wasn't even that special. Glancing back you noticed the silhouette of a certain sales associate still staring daggers at you from behind a rack of silk robes. Begrudgingly tapping your phone against the card reader the purchase was successful. Your phone was really the only true luxury you allowed in your life. It was especially helpful when it came to using the GPS for whenever you got lost on the city bus routes when you missed your exit.

Catty was going all out to package the underwear in a teeny tiny pink bag, the store's name written on it in gold cursive, over pouring with fuchsia tissue paper. Her glance kept going from the wrapping, to you, and then behind you. Did she notice the sales associate's creepy stalker behaviour, too? Following her gaze back it wasn't the lady from before, it was Papyrus curiously smelling the different perfumes, lotions, and candles.

“Omg, so like...I gotta ask...how is he?” Catty’s eyes lit up.

“Excuse me?” You could feel a subtle blush rise to your cheeks. Thankfully Papyrus was out of earshot.

“Like, you know… he doesn't have lips. Is he a good kisser?” She started to snicker at the end as though the mental image made her laugh.

“I...I don't know!” you retorted in shock.

“O-M-G Bratty, come look at the human's face. It's like totally adorable. She's getting mad embarrassed over her boy toy!” She flashed a wide grin that revealed all of her sharp teeth but it quickly fell upon looking back at you. “Oh my gosh, please don't get me fired. Like, I'm totally sorry. You guys look super cute together, I promise.” Her voice trailed further and further into a whisper as she pushed the tiny bag forward for you to take. 

“Eh-hem!” ah, that's what caused the sudden shift in conversation. “Thank you for shopping here, but I must ask you to leave now. Your ‘friend’ there keeps spraying the perfume samples to depletion.” 

“Oh, sorry. We'll leave right now.” You went over and nudged Papyrus’ letting him know you were ready to go. “What were you doing with the samples?”

“I never knew how nice perfume smelled, it's like a concentrated air freshener. I thought maybe it would help with Sans’ room. He never vacuums and has a bad habit of leaving everything a mess. I thought I could at least help make it smell like a pretty mess.”

A smile creeped onto your face, you could imagine this wasn't a solution Sans’ would approve off. It would be more like a nose bomb if you actually tried to freshen up a room using an entire bottle of perfume. The thought alone almost gave you a headache.

Walking over to the kiosk, Papyrus didn't miss a beat as he grabbed a curiously placed spray bottle and began squirting Sans with it. You noticed a note next to where the bottle had been sitting that read, “Use in case of purchase.”

“How can I help- oh hey bro.” Sans lifted the now soggy magazine to look at his sibling.

“We are here to see the movie with you, brother.”

“We…?” He questioned until his eyes met with yours. You gave a half hearted smile and a quick wave to say hello. “Oh..” You weren't sure but it seemed like there was a hint of disappointment. Without another word he hopped off the chair and started closing up the kiosk getting ready to go. With the final turn of a key he returned his hands to his pocket and waited for Papyrus to lead the way.

As the three of you walked together you noticed Sans glancing over at you. What, were you walking weird? He never spoke up though so you were left with the frustrating curiosity. The theatre was attached to the mall and only took 5 minutes to reach. It was still fairly early in the day and you were happy you could take advantage of the matinee pricing. 

“Wait here, I will go see when the next showtime is.” Papyrus announced as he left, leaving you and Sans to wait just inside the theatre lobby that smelled of popcorn.

“Hey kid, you want something to eat?”

“I'm good.” You responded without making eye contact.

“Your loss.” He shrugged. “The hotdogs here are great, ever since the theatre started stocking monster food. Still looking for a place that sells hot cats, though. The customer service here can't be beat either. One time that teen behind the counter went along with it when I ordered 29 hotdogs and asked him to stack them on my head."

"Why 29?" You interrupted.

"Well if im being 'frank', thirty hotdogs is just an excessive number. Twenty-nine, now that's just fine but thirty...." He gave you an incredulous look but all you could think was 'How is 29 not excessive?.'

"Then the kid even got a ladder, you should have seen the crowd that gathered. Even the manager came out and wasn't sure whether to be upset or impressed. I mean I did just buy 29 hot dogs from their establishment.”

“Oh, are you telling the human this story? Did you get to the best part yet?” Papyrus returned with three pairs of 3D glasses in one hand and tickets in the other.

“Uh, Papyrus did you pay for my ticket?” You pulled out your phone, “I can transfer the money, just tell me where to send it.”

“Nyeheheh, don't be silly. You are the guest here!”

“But-”

“Just let him do this for you. It'll make him happy” Sans whispered as Papyrus rambled on about being a great host.

Grateful you gave something between a subtle bow and a low nod. Papyrus smiled in return with his trademark Nyeheheh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahuhuhuhu~


	7. Mettaton the Movie XXXVI

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and the skeleton brothers go to the theatre to watch a 3D movie. A fabulous 3D movie!

“Hey bro, you want the usual? I’m going to go grab a couple of ‘‘dogs.” After Papyrus gleefully nodded, Sans went off to get in line for food.

“Do not fret, we will save you a seat brother! It will be the best seat!” he stopped in thought for a moment. “Well no, our guest will have the best seat but you can settle for second best!” he was all but yelling to Sans across the lobby.

Entering the theatre, with plenty of time before the movie started, all the seats were….empty. Papyrus lead the way to the very center of the room, proudly announcing there was still 45 minutes before the movie began. About to take a seat, you noticed the chair was already folded open. Strange, maybe it was stuck. Sitting down, you most definitely felt something. With a small yelp you jumped back up to find a ghost gazing up at you nervously.

“Oh……...I forgot I wasn’t visible…..Oh no, you must have thought this seat was empty…....I’m sorry...I should just go…….”, with that, the little ghost faded with the seat folding back up. Really, you were fine with moving one seat over but you didn’t even have a chance to reply. 

“That was Napstablook. I only know him through a friend of a friend of a friend but I often see him in here when a Mettaton movie is playing. Don’t worry,” Papyrus pointed towards the ceiling without looking away. Above you was the ghost named Napstablook laying on his side against the ceiling as though gravity had been reversed. “He can fly, so really, he has the best view.”

Accepting Papyrus’ answer and the fact that the seat was now yours to take you freely plopped down and got comfortable.

“So what’s the best part of San’s story?” you asked looking over at Papyrus as he was trying to balance a pair of 3D glasses on top of his head.

“Yes, of course! I almost forgot! When the adolescent human was climbing up and down the ladder to place the hotdogs, Sans announced that he would pass them out to the crowd if all of them could be placed without falling off his head.”

“So what happened.”

“Well…” a look of disdain was clear on Papyrus’ face, “My brother started teasing the crowd by rocking on his heels, looking back at the concession stand whenever the teen had to prepare the next batch of hot dogs, and on occasion he would…. wiggle his hips.”

Holding back a smile you questioned, “Did he not care if the hotdogs fell down or was he just that confident in his balance?”

“Oh, well he had every right to be confident. I could tell he was using magic to keep the hotdogs in place but the manager was constantly covering his eyes, fearing the worst. When the adolescent human placed the final hotdog everyone cheered for my brother. Nyeheheh!” he seemed to be bursting with pride for his sibling, “Unfortunately the manager had enough by then, forcing his employees to get back to work. I was quick to action though, and helped Sans hand out the hotdogs. Of course, I also ensured the ladder was properly returned.” 

“That was really cool of your brother.” Papyrus appeared happy to hear someone compliment his sibling as though it also reflected on himself. It was still surprising to learn about Sans being nice, albeit in his own way. In the middle of this thought you felt something tickle your ear. Pushing a hand from your ear back into your hair the only thing that could be felt were the ends of the 3D glasses that sat on your head. 

“Yeah, that was pretty ice of you to say.” Sans’ voice suddenly came from behind, making you jump. He sounded close and upon looking back he was practically snickering an inch behind your shoulder from the row above. 

“Sans, did you get what I asked for?” Papyrus chimed in without being phased by his brother’s sudden appearance.

“Yeah, here’s the pomeraisins.” he threw them into the air, above Papyrus who impressively managed to catch the box in his mouth with a muffled ‘yes’ of triumph. 

Sans draped an arm over Papyrus’ outer shoulder leaning his head on the other. Which in turn, effectively blocked you from Papyrus’ view. “I also brought the tape.” Almost jabbing you, Sans flung his hand past you and presented the roll of adhesive tape to his brother.

“What’s that for?” you leaned forward so you could look at both of the skeleton brothers.

Shifting to face you, Sans looked at you while holding Papyrus close by. His expression incredulous as he pointed, with the tape in hand, to the back of his zygomatic arch above the jaw. “And ear I thought you would be more considerate, kid.”

“Sans! You cannot hide a pun from me!” Papyrus steamed.

“Alright alright, just know that I lobe you, bro.” Sans nuzzled his head back into Papyrus with a gleeful look, anticipating his brother’s reaction. He was met with a sigh that was equal parts frustration and impatience which only made Sans laugh more. Finally pulling back, he carefully took the glasses off of Papyrus’ head. Effortlessly he placed tapes on the side of the frames as though it was a skill he had mastered over years of coming to the theatre. The expression on his face as he caringly placed the glasses back on Papyrus was clearly content. It almost felt as though you were intruding on a personal moment between the two brothers as they helped each other tape the 3D glasses on. Papyrus looked fine but he clearly didn’t do as precise a job on Sans whose glasses were obviously crooked, but he didn’t complain.

Feeling a little left out you slipped on your glasses as well. “Now we can look cool together.” you cheered with a cheesy smile.

“Oh, it’s true! They look just like sunglasses. We should take a selfie!” Flipping out his phone, Papyrus got the camera ready, wrapping an arm around your body to pull you close. Sans stuck his head between the two of you, his face squeezed both into yours and Papyrus’. Without a second to lose, Papyrus took the picture and quickly pulled back excited to look at the resulting image, “I will send it to you, friend. Do you receive photos on your phone?”

“Yeah, send away.” pulling out your phone, you anticipated getting a picture of yourself with Papyrus. Oh, you could also crop it and use it as a contact image for….’Papaya’. You stifled back a snicker at the thought. It wasn’t long before you finally received it and a smile spread itself on your face, now that you had a captured memory to keep forever.

“Care to help me out?” Sans asked from the aisle behind and Papyrus seemed to know exactly what he wanted. Getting up from his seat, Papyrus turned to pick up his brother who already had his arms stretched forward. In a matter of seconds, Papyrus lifted his brother over the seats and engulfed him in a hug before setting him back down. “thanks bro. Hope you don't mind but I'm going to sit next to the human.” 

Your eyes widened hearing this response. Great, now you were going to be self conscious and uncomfortable during the whole film. He better not side glance you and judge you for sitting weird or anything. Then again, it was hard not to think he was the unusual one when he pulled out a personal reserve of ketchup from his jacket.

The big screen began playing ads for local stores and movie trivia which Papyrus excitedly shouted out the answers for. Sans would always call out the least likely answer but you weren’t sure if it was to let his brother win, infuriate him, or both. As the showtime got closer, more and more people entered the room until almost all the seats were filled. Napstablook was still ‘laying down’ on the ceiling, transfixed on the screen.

As the film started, the first thing to peak your interest was the animated studio logo of a calculator being showered by rose petals. Interesting…? You never had a chance to see any of the Mettaton movie’s before and hoped you weren’t missing too much backstory. As the title burst forth with confetti and sparkles you saw that this was ‘Mettaton the Movie XXXVI’ wait...what number was that? The film was live-action with Mettaton playing a human female lead. The plot, still ambiguous with every scene consisting of anime special effects, monsters fainting, and legs jutting out of the screen making full use of the 3D glasses. 

Too much was happening and your brain struggled to keep up with the excessive stimuli. Papyrus on the other hand, clearly had the soundtrack to the movie memorized because his voice would start booming every time Mettaton began to sing. Instead of getting shushed, you were surprised to hear a variety of people join in as though he had taken lead to a sing-a-long. Peeling your eyes from the screen you couldn’t help but take a moment and appreciate the passion this skeleton poured into everything. This movie didn’t stand out much to you other than through its dramatic exaggerations but Papyrus’ company made it more than worth it. Curious, you dared a glance at Sans to see if he was enjoying the movie as much as his sibling but your eyes met and locked for a good 5 seconds. Oh gosh, he was definitely looking at you staring at his brother. Look forward, look forward! Just try and figure out this plot already! It wasn’t too long but you did eventually figure out the story. The female lead was lonely and rejected by her peers at school. In her attempt to make a new friend she volunteered to host a new foreign exchange student.

Mettaton was draped over the kitchen counter, a leg sticking in the air for no apparent reason. “If only someone could appreciate my friendship...and legs” he gave a wink to the camera before a couple of knocks came at the door.

“Gasp! Could it be?” a spotlight brought the kitchen into darkness making Mettatons clearly metallic body shine. Suddenly the door burst open and it was...Papyrus!? 

Your jaw dropped and you looked over at Papyrus in confusion. He was jumping in his seat giving you a couple of thumbs up as though he had been waiting just for this scene.

“Are you the-” Mettaton paused as they draped a hand over their forehead about to faint. On screen, Papyrus ran to catch the ‘human’ before they collapsed. The camera then zoomed in on his face as he was about to speak.

“Si, me llamo Enrrrrique!” you nearly started bursting out with laughter, it wasn’t even his voice. Papyrus had clearly been dubbed with a deep baritone, voice thick with a spanish accent. It didn’t suit the skeleton at all but he continued on with the screen providing subtitles. Even with your high-school level spanish you could tell the words and subtitles didn’t match. Whatever the dubbed voice was saying related to finding a library, asking the time, and wanting to eat...okay he definitely said the word ‘burrito.’ The subtitles on the other hand went on to describe a love story between the human and the exchange student who was...a..monster. This was a love story between a human and a monster, one of which was actually and literally Papyrus. Looking over at the tall skeleton sitting beside you his eyes were glued to the screen. You were tempted to check Sans but you weren’t going to make the same mistake twice. This just became terribly awkward…

“Oh no!” Mettaton yelled, “your brother is here, too?” your mouth instinctively mouthed the word ‘what’ but you still didn’t dare to look at Sans who was almost most definitely looking at you for a reaction. Once again the door burst open but this time it wasn’t Sans, it was a muscular horse, mermaid thing that came in flexing. 

“Me llamo, Errrrrin! Te amo!” which translated to “My name is Erin (rolling the ‘r’), I love you!” you started burying your face into the hand you had propped up on the armrest with your right arm.

“El esqueleto no tienes boca! No besos! Sin amor!” - “The skeleton, doesn’t even have lips! How can you love someone you cannot kiss?” you were pretty sure something was off with that translation, too...but really you just had a flashback moment of what Catty mentioned earlier. Cheeks getting flushed, you cursed yourself for actually wondering what it would be like to kiss a skeleton. How would that work anyways? How would it even feel... Stop, stop! Just watch the movie!

Papyrus jumped in saying something about it being Tuesday but it translated to, “I will prove you wrong!” Dipping Mettaton in his arms, he leaned in for a kiss. 

You did not want to watch this! Nononononoo! You had your hands over your face but still peered through the gaps in your fingers. Before Mettaton’s lips met with Papyrus’ teeth the screen faded out with a sparkly pink cursive ‘Fin’ as the credits began to roll. You finally let out a sigh of relief, not realizing you had been holding your breath. Without wasting a second you stood up, claiming you had to go to the bathroom hoping the skeleton brothers wouldn’t notice the fading blush on your cheeks. 

Looking at yourself in the bathroom mirror you were glad to see your face return back to its normal color. What on earth did I just watch? An exhausted sigh escaped you. Shifting over to see the small pink bag slinging from your arm, you realized it was finally possible to get out of the dreaded boxers. It was a relief just to know Sans wouldn’t catch you actually wearing them. Changing in one of the bathroom stalls you couldn’t help but do a little twirl, happy to feel girly again. You had been rushed in the lingerie store, it was only now that you noticed the frilly trim and tiny bow decorating the light blue garment. In your mind you added +10 cute to your invisible stats. Walking out of the restroom you had a subtle smile that soon dropped as you saw Sans by himself leaning against the wall.

“Where’s Papyrus?” 

“Still watching the credits.” Sans put it simply, tilting his head to the side. “How’d you like it?”

“Mm...it was a bit too much for me to be honest but still interesting.” if you were going to go through another Mettaton movie you would make sure to check the trailer online first.

“Yeah, my brother can be overwhelming to watch.”

“I was talking about the movie.” you glared at Sans and his knowing grin widened.

“So was I.” he started to chuckle, “but I don’t think your answer would be much different either way.”

“I’m going back in the theatre.” you had your hand on the door ready to push, when you heard the sound of tissue paper rustling from behind.

“I see you got some shopping done.” Oh, heck no! Turning as fast as possible, you lunged towards Sans before he could reach all the way in.

“Give it back!” you huffed. He held the bag back with one arm while keeping you away with the other. “That’s none of your business!”

“Well maybe it didn’t seem like it, but I did see you two go into the store together. And my brother IS my business.” Something about his tone became intimidating but you refused to back down. He seemed to sense that and reluctantly dropped his arm. “...Fine.”

“Oh did the human tell you how she bought underwear for my sake.” Papyrus announced coming out of the theatre to anyone within a 20 foot radius.

Oh my gosh…. Your hand twitched in the air, yet to pull the bag away from Sans. Anything your mind scrambled to say in defense caught itself in your throat. 

“Did you see them, they are really cute!” Papyrus cheered as he took the bag and reached straight in before you had a chance to react. 

Maybe...just maybe that store actually sold boxers...Black ones…….with bones printed on them...

“They were blue like my special attack but lighter. So not exactly the same shade of blue… Anyways just look at- Oh, these aren’t…” 

Please don’t say it, pleeeease don’t say it.

“These are Sans, did you change out of them?” 

That was it, there was no room for misunderstanding. With a groan you dropped your head, face burying into your hands. Through your fingers it looked like the theatre floor was staring at you and judging you with its soda stained eyes. All that followed was unbearable silence, it continued until you couldn’t help but look back up. In reality, only a few seconds had passed. Papyrus was looking at you questioningly while Sans was looking at...Well he was facing his boxers but his eyes had reverted to two dark voids. His expression indiscernible. About to speak up, Sans surprisingly broke the silence.

“I’m going back to work.” with that he headed out of the theatre lobby and walked in the opposite direction of his kiosk. Papyrus was already neatly folding up the garment in his hands. Carefully placing it back into the bag, he fluffed the tissue paper to its original state before handing it back to you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What...have I created? I wasn't planning on writing any details about the movie and just skim and hint at the fabulousness.... Thank you for the comments last chapter, got me thinking up some weird stuff. Also watched this very educational reference just for you guys: 
> 
> https://youtu.be/GN1WucC36V0?t=21s
> 
> Well...I'm making the plot impossibly slow but here you go! (Seriously, Paps and the reader were supposed to be back home a chapter ago, hah!)


	8. hOI!!!!! i'm tEMMIE!!!!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leaving the mall, you head for the monster market to get ingredients. Papyrus is looking forward to you trying some new recipes he came up with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, this is a much calmer chapter after the previous two. Finally they leave the mall, huzzah!

After a bit of awkward silence, Papyrus announced that it would be best to head over to the monster market and you were more than happy to pretend nothing had just happened.

“Huh, my brother can be weird sometimes. Please do not let his odd behaviour prevent the two of you from forming the bond of friendship. You may need to be the one to initiate however considering my brother would be too lazy to try. Well we can figure that out later.” Papyrus had moved the car forward before going back out to reposition Sans’ bike, now standing neatly in the center of the parking spot. You also took a moment to leave your small pink shopping bag inside the trunk. 

The monster market looked like something between a train station and a warehouse combined. In the center was a large clock tower in the building’s T-shaped architecture. Inside were shops, cafes, restaurants, and a variety of other magic related goods, all pocketed into the walls of the building. Behind it was a river where, as Papyrus explained, the ‘River Person’ would ferry monsters and even humans who now lived under Mt. Ebott. It was a tourist destination and a real estate opportunity after so many of the once trapped occupants had opted to move out. 

“awwAwa, human... such a... CUTE!!!!”, a small dog..wait no, cat? You couldn’t tell but it was cute and vibrating intensely as it called you out in the main corridor.

“hOI! hooman, try tem fLAKES? Wil trade fur petz!” this...thing..was adorable! Just as you started to walk over you felt Papyrus loop his arm around yours picking up the pace forward.

“I was going to try the tem flakes.” You looked over at Papyrus with a puzzled expression as you tried to keep up with his pace.

“fhsdhjfdsfjsddshjfsd” the small dog continued to yell from the distance.

“Humans are allergic to Temmies and Temmies are allergic to humans. No exception. Sans and I have seen this happen too many time.” Papyrus was quick to respond. “We may need to run actually. If necessary, I will pick you up and carry you as we flee.”

“p!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” the small monster called out.

“What? Why?” Looking back the ‘Temmie’ had their eyes locked on you and it was actually...terrifying.

“Their limbs…” Papyrus expression looked a little scared, “can extend an unreasonable amount.” perhaps he had to help other humans escape from Temmie.

“You will regret this.” Was the last thing you managed to hear Temmie say.

Papyrus finally began to slow down now that there was a safe distance from danger. His arm still linked in yours, and it didn’t seem like he was going to pull away any time soon. Entering a grocery store he pulled you through an aisle of cans towards the checkout counter at the back. Getting a glimpse of what the aisle contained it all seemed to be magical substitutes of human food. 

Canned pineapples, potatoes, bananas..pizza….icecream…...tacos…..human soul-

Wait no, you must have misread that last one. Papyrus continued to tug you along, keeping you from double checking but the thought you had read ‘human soul’ made you chuckle. 

“Hey Paps, save another one from the grasp of Tem?” a human girl questioned from behind the counter.

“Nyeheheh! Quick on my toes I extinguished the situation before there was any danger!”

“I wouldn’t expect less from the greatest, now what can I getcha?”, they seemed really familiar with each other, Papyrus was probably a dedicated regular. “Actually, we do have about 500 boxes of pasta. I can start bringing it out-”

“No no! I am only here for 10 boxes. I’ll pick up the rest tomorrow.”

“Alright, let me just grab them from the back.” the girl disappeared behind a curtain.

Papyrus finally pulled away his arm to your disappointment, “Human, I am going to go grab some ingredients. Stay here and wait for the pasta.” you gave him a nod before he went off.

From the counter you watched Papyrus occasionally zoom past the visible gaps in the aisles. His familiarity with the store was evident.

“So, you friends with the goofball?” the girl had returned, stacking the pasta boxes on the counter. She spoke about the skeleton with fondness and not ridicule. 

“I suppose so.” you smiled at the admittance of having some kind of relationship with him.

“Well hey, I probably don’t need to tell you this considering all the friends and family he’s already got...but if you ever hurt Papyrus in any way you’re going to have hell to deal with.” she spoke smiling the whole time, “I mean his brother alone can be a nightmare.”

“You can say that again” you huffed out.

“Hahaha! Once I fell from the step ladder while stacking boxes of monster candy and Papyrus caught me. You should’ve seen the look on that short skelly’s face when he rounded the corner and saw me in his brother’s arms. Ah, well I’m sure he’s harmless or rather too lazy to actually do anything. The one I’d worry about is Undyne, she can be a beast, heheh. Hey Paps, has your friend here met Undyne yet?” he was standing behind you now, lifting his arm over your head to plop a filled basket of groceries onto the counter.

“Not yet, but she has agreed to try training with us. I am very much looking forward to it.”

“Oh man, soul and all?” you weren’t quite sure how to respond, you didn’t even understand what they meant when they said soul. Were they being literal or figurative?

“Well, that is up to my friend. She can join us to whatever extent she is comfortable with.” Papyrus answered for you. The girl behind the counter seemed satisfied with this answer and continued to ring up the items.

“Alright, should I put this on your tab or paying now?”

“I’ll pay when I come back to pick up the rest of the pasta.”

“Sounds good, see ya tomorrow.”

Walking out with Papyrus you noticed a stand facing inside the store promoting new hotcats.

“Huh, I bet Sans would like that.” you thought out loud.

“Sans would like what?” Papyrus asked curiously.

“Oh, uh..” you pointed over at the graphic display. It had a hot cat with legs sprouting from the bun, looking as though it was running against a red and yellow japanese sunrise from behind. Above it was the word ‘New’ in a red bubble text.“The hot cat, Sans mentioned he’s been looking for a place that sells them.”

“Wowie! He’s never told me that, you two must be getting along better than I thought!” Papyrus looked genuinely happy. “Well then we must at least get one package!” taking an 8-pack of ‘cats from the small refrigerator Papyrus looked back waving them in the air. “Can you add this to my tab?”

“Yes sir!” the girl was quick to respond and gave Papyrus a playful salute.

With that, the two of you safely got back to the car without re-encountering Temmie. As Papyrus put away the groceries you took your small pink shopping bag out of the trunk to ensure you didn't forget it later. Back at the skeleton’s house, Papyrus was quick to put things away, refusing any help you offered since you were still technically the guest. Eventually he pulled out a casserole that was bigger than your head from one of the cabinets and filled it with water, sprinkled in some salt, added a dash of seasoning, poured a bit of olive oil, then waited for the water to boil. He prepared several ingredients from the monster market, many of which you couldn’t recognize. This included a giant violet egg, some vegetables with peculiar faces on them, and an ever-wiggling green gelatin. He’s making spaghetti….right?

“Here is the first of the three dishes!” Papyrus looked giddy to have you try one of his new recipes. In front of you he placed a plate covered by a handled silver dome. Do people actually buy plate covers, you thought that was just something they did at fancy hotels. Removing the top revealed a plate with spaghetti that had yellow chunks in it. Here goes nothing. Intentionally scooping up a yellow bit along with the spaghetti you instantly recognized it was pineapple. Combined with spaghetti, the taste was indescribable but you did not fancy it.

“Why did you add pineapple?” was all you could think to say.

“ I call it Hawaiian spaghetti. It was something I thought of when I heard about Hawaiian pizza, which is much too greasy! I felt it was only my duty as a skilled chef to create a healthier alternative, Nyeheheh!”

“I…” oh geez, how would he respond, “...well maybe someone else would but honestly I don't...like it.” You've said it, now all you can do is wait through these agonizing seconds for his response.

“Oh.” it only took that took make you feel guilty.

“But I'm also not a big fan of Hawaiian pizza so maybe that's why-”

“No no, that honesty is exactly what I need!” Papyrus was practically glowing as he looked at you, “Sans either tells me it's good or falls asleep in the pasta. Your perspective is very important to me, and is already proving quite valuable!” Pulling away the plate, he had a plastic container ready, “I'll save the leftovers for Sans, I'm fairly certain he would eat anything I cook. Nyeheheh, I remember when he used to eat the pasta that Undyne taught me to make. It took me years to find out how much I still needed to learn about the art of making spaghetti. Did you know the average spaghetti recipe does not call for bananas?” Papyrus suddenly flushed recollecting something and buried his face in his hands. “I just remembered when I gave my friend Frisk, spaghetti as a present. I do not think I truly understood the expression they made when they took a bite until now. B-but I am certain they truly enjoy my cooking now after training so hard at culinary school. Some may say I was bad at cooking before but really I was just still learning. Even now I have much to learn which is exactly why I need your help!” Papyrus looked like he was filled with determination to continue.

Passing you the second plate, you uncovered it to reveal spaghetti buried under marinara mixed with vegetables and a giant fried egg with purple yolk laying on top. It really did smell good and you could feel your mouth water even with the unusual monster ingredients added. Time to take another first bite.

“Wow! This one's amazing!” You never thought of putting a fried egg over spaghetti but it worked well. You could even taste a crafted mix of vegetables in the sauce with every bite. There might not even be left overs if you kept eating at this rate.

“Nyeheheh, I'm happy you like it. In the sauce I added carrots, celery, garlic, dried oregano, sweet tomatoes-” he continued to list off ingredients as you ate the delicious meal impatiently. At least, that was until you heard the last one. “And then I topped it off with a giant spider egg.”

-COUGH-  
-COUGH-

Papyrus started walking towards you to help but you waved him off.

“W-what? Spider? But….I saw what you bought. That thing looked like an ostrich egg!”

“It is from a specific spider monster of course, Muffet has one as a pet. Their eggs are known for making delicious baked goods but they are also very healthy. If I wanted the ones that came from the smaller spiders it would cost quite a bit, it is like caviar for monsters. Are you alright, human?”

“I just..give me a moment to get that mental image out of my head.” The thought of eating spiders fills you with indigestion. Papyrus gingerly pulled back the plate and put away the little bit of leftovers you had as you continued to recover. 

Finally pushing aside the uneasiness, you took a deep breath and continued, “Alright, uhm...so it was actually really good but humans might be hesitant to eat anything made with bugs, especially if it's spiders.”

“Hmm, yes. Muffet runs into the same issue with her bakeries. This is why she often gives away free samples to non monsters.” you remembered the packet of tea still in your jacket pocket. There were probably spiders in it….

“Okay, well I’m ready for the final dish now. Bring it. You know… as long as you give me a heads up on any spider related ingredients. On second thought, just don’t ever tell me if I’m eating spiders.”

The last plate of spaghetti was mixed with sliced up chunks of hotcat, the ends clearly had what looked like cat ears. Everything was covered in a light layer of basil and parmesan and smelled of the sweet tomatoes in the sauce. It didn’t taste as good as the previous dish but was still very delicious, especially with the extra ingredients sprinkled on top. Overall really good, until you heard it. A meow. From inside your mouth. Perhaps you imagined it so you continued to chew slower but then. Meow. Lifting your hand you were quick to spit the contents of your mouth out and inspect it for possible cats. It was just typical looking chewed up food. Lifting your head you saw Papyrus looking at you in shock.

“Oh, sorry I heard meowing. I don’t know, I guess I thought there was a tiny monster cat in my mouth.” Papyrus’ concern melted away and was replaced with a look of amusement as he burst into laughter. So much so he had to hold on to the island counter for support, his other hand clutching his shirt where his stomach would be.

“N-nyeheheh. No.. that is- Nyeh Heheheh.”

‘W-what?” 

“Oh, I’m sorry for laughing, human. Heheh. That is what happens when you eat hot cats. It meows but there are no tiny monsters in your mouth, n-Nyeh heheh.” he had to continue to try and calm himself, tears even forming at the bottom of his eye sockets. Deciding to continue your meal you took another bite. As you processed the constant meowing that occurred when you chewed, you could tell that the expression on your face must have been comical from the way Papyrus was reacting. He was doing his best to keep from laughing, going so far as to look away.

“I'm probably going to finish this plate.” You couldn't help but smile at the shaking skeleton, you had never seen him laugh so hard before.

“Y-yes, I will also make a plate for myself and put away the extra I made for Sans.” He ate standing over the island counter in front of you. Muffled meows came from his mouth with each bite. Every so often he stole a glance at you as you enjoyed the meal he made. 

Taking your plate once it was nothing but streaks of sauce, Papyrus was eager to return his kitchen to mint condition. If you were able to reach the top of the sink you would have offered to wash the dishes for him, but as the short guest you assumed it wouldn’t have done any good. Instead you sat on the high chair against the island watching the way Papyrus’ shoulder blades would jut out from the back of his shirt as he washed the dishes. Every so often he would look back to catch you staring or maybe just making sure you were comfortable.

“Human,would you say that we are good friends?” Papyrus spoke up.

“We’ve only known each other for a week.” A smile started to form thinking about how great the past 7 days had been compared to the months before it. “But...I do feel like we're good friends, yeah.” Papyrus was fixed on your smile but quickly looked away when your eyes met.

“And.. in a hypothetical situation, if I were to be honest about something you would not stop being my friend, would you?”

“uhm..No, of course not. You can tell me anything.” Where was this going? 

“P-promise?”

“Yes?”

Turning the sink off, Papyrus did a quick heel turn to face you. His gaze dropped to the ground as he marched around the island until he was right beside the chair you sat on. He had to take a deep breath before overcoming his hesitation to look back up, but with it came his hand. Cupping your face he slowly stroked your cheek, a little rough but it still made you blush. What was he doing? This was a bit forward, he always seemed so careful and gentlemanly. Albeit he was clumsy on occasion.

“I would like to be honest with you about something then.” Papyrus’ expression was serious as he faced you, occasionally looking down very obviously at your lips. All you could manage was to nod your head in response but you couldn't help feeling a little nervous as he continued to caress your cheek. 

“I noticed that...It’s just...you…” as his words stopped so did his hand. Still fixated on your mouth, his thumb slowly traced itself across your bottom lip. It was cool and smooth to the touch. Your face must have been burning red now though, even your heart had picked up. Oh gosh was he going to kiss you? Would you finally find out what a skeleton kiss was like? Should you stop him? Did you even reciprocate those feelings? 

“You have marinara all over your face.” Papyrus forced out, becoming tense as though preparing for the worst.

“What?” Flipping out your phone you turned on the camera to use it as a mirror. Sure enough your face was covered in spaghetti sauce so much so that it hid the fact you were blushing. If there was any way to describe it, you looked like a toddler who had just used their hands to smear spaghetti all over their face in search of the gaping hole that would lead to their taste buds. “Oh my gosh, oh my gosh! I-I’ll go wash this off in the bathroom.” 

“Oh nonsense, I can easily wipe it off.” He continued to drag his thumb against your lips which left you feeling both flustered and embarrassed.

“A-at least use a napkin, or paper towel, or something.” you pleaded as your bottom lip was forced to the right. 

Papyrus did comply and it probably took a good 15 minutes until he finally wiped your face clean to his satisfaction. He had been leaning over you, his face just inches away from yours, as he searched for any left over traces. You were fairly certain he had spent the last 7 minutes trying to wipe the fading blush from your cheeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes. I know. I'm such a tease. Your romance has been absorbed by the messy spaghetti sauce. :3


	9. * You Will Regret This

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another monster related nightmare plagues your dream, thankfully you know just who to call. Your week at school proceeds normally if not for a couple of mishaps. Also, cats.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Forgot to mention.... If you'd like a visual for Oleander, here's a quick sketch I made of him.
> 
> [OLEANDER](http://fav.me/d9o31im)
> 
> He's albino with snow white hair that's a bit long and messy. His eyes are a piercing red, although it may look pinkish under certain lighting. He wears a v-neck shirt (heather forest green) and a long sweater (grey) with rolled up sleeves, the right side tends to fall off of his shoulder often. Faded skinny jeans (greyish blue), and his shoes vary from canvas Toms to leather oxfords. The pendant around his neck is a rectangle that's about 1x2x0.4 inches in dimensions and has a dark black/brown/silver mixture, remember it's stainless steel mixed with another material. It's probably hung with a hemp string, probably not a chain...or maybe..idk, string seems more stylish. He's a bit of a hipster, haha.

As the incident finally sled past, Papyrus insisted on giving you a ride to the subway so you wouldn't have to worry about catching the bus. Binging on anime after getting back home, you continued to watch episode upon episode to get rid of the flush that continued to threaten your cheeks. Eventually tired out, eyes getting heavy with the occasional yawn, you finally fell asleep.

Everything was dark when you started to hear whispers. Your name was being called out faintly, you could tell someone or something was talking about you. They came from every direction, echoing over one another with no distinct source. 

“Human”

“It’s the human.”

“Get the human.”

The chatter continued until the words started to mix together creating an indiscernible string of speech. It was growing louder and becoming a deafening white noise. Blocking your ears from the sound had no effect.

“Stop!” you yelled and to your surprise the noise did come to an abrupt pause. That’s when you heard in an unmistakable voice.

“You will regret this.” Temmie’s face was revealed far off in front of you, slowly being uncloaked by the darkness. Its face trembled while it’s body stayed completely still. Then, without warning, the small creature disappeared and you found yourself trapped between four mysterious columns. Walking up to one, you tried to touch it but it stung upon contact. The column began to wobble in place before sliding itself closer. You tried to move away but then your entire back was stinging as you had bumped into another of the four columns from behind. Looking up you saw in the distance a base where the four beams connected. It was Temmie and the columns were actually legs. There was no escape as an invisible box kept you within the grasp of the now tall monster. Temmie began to screech gibberish as she flickered in and out of existence until there was nothing again. You heard sniffing come from behind your ear but looking back proved fruitless as there was only more of the dark abyss. Now in front of you, however, was Temmie staring at you from the ground. Without moving its’ lips you heard the monster speak, the voice burning itself into your ears.

“The skeleton is next.”

Opening your eyes, you woke back up in the cramped apartment room. The beating of your heart was deafening and you could feel a bead of sweat trickle down the side of your forehead. Your hand frantically patted the bed in search of your phone, immediately unlocking it to find Papyrus in your contacts. His number wasn't there, and the panic you felt was festering until you remembered his information was saved in your phone as Papaya. 

...Ring  
...Ring  
...Ring

“Hello?” Papyrus asked from the other end.

“They're coming after you! They said you were next. I-i don't want you to get hurt. Why didn't you just let me pet them? You need to hide or...run… What are you going to do? What should I do?” As you rambled on you noticed Papyrus was trying to catch your attention, attempting to get a word in.

“Human, where are you? What's wrong? Did you not make it home safely?” His voice was strained and you could tell he was genuinely concerned.

“I got home safely but that's not the point. Temmie is coming after you next!”

“Temmie? Where?”

“They were...I just saw them…uhm..” reality began to sink in as you realized it had all just been another bad dream. You were in your apartment, in bed with the sheets tossed to one side, but ultimately safe. “Uh...haha..I uh...just woke up from a nightmare, sorry.”

“That is quite a relief, I thought perhaps you had been captured, Nyehehe- er…. Would you like to talk for a bit, perhaps? It may help put your mind at ease so you can sleep again peacefully.”

“Sure, I'd appreciate that. And yeah, you’re the only one who could manage to capture me.” you teased.

“Nyeheheh, of course. Okay, conversation start! I would suggest wearing something nice but I do not feel that applies to phone conversations. Not that what you are wearing isn’t nice, I’m sure it is but….anyways how was the rest of your evening?”

“The subway wasn't crowded so it was a smooth ride back home. There was this monster eating cheesy puffs and then licking the powder off of their hands though….It was making everyone uncomfortable, some people were clearly getting off early just to get away. I, on the other hand, diligently distracted myself by looking up cat pictures on my phone. I searched, I laughed, I survived.”

“Jerry…” Papyrus groaned.

“Hmm?”

“N-nothing, I just may know who you are talking about. I guess he wasn't able to find a ride home today….” Papyrus spoke more in thought to himself rather than to you.

“Hey, so did Sans ever try the hotcat spaghetti?”

“Ah, yes! My brother loved it. He was surprised when I told him you were the one who mentioned he'd like them. Also, Sans says ‘Thank you’. I suggested he tell you himself but of course he finds every way possible to do as little as possible. At least he helped out with the laundry today, I didn’t even have to ask. On occasion he does help around the house, he's been trying to improve on that ever since we left Mt.Ebott. Even turned his dirty sock collection into a clean sock collection. I cannot tell you what a big step that was for him to take, but I am very proud of the progress he has made. Even if I do often find him napping in the strangest of places.”

“Oh! Like where?”

“Well he usually naps in all sorts of positions on the sofa and occasionally he will roll onto the coffee table spread out like a starfish. There have been times where I found him on top of the sink with his arm dangling off the edge, in the fridge snuggling with a bottle of ketchup, in the bathtub with the shower still running, in the trunk of my car..locked, in a basket of clothes I was about to empty into the laundry machine, slowly sliding down the stair railing, on the floor in front of the entrance door, on the mailbox, standing in the middle of my room..that one was a bit scary until I turned on the lights. Honestly, someone might mistake him for a cat.”

“Hahah, he isn’t a cat? I guess I should have noticed with the lack of pointy ears, whiskers, and fur. Anyways, anything interesting happen after you dropped me off?”

“A few hours after I left you , I received a call from Hotland which resulted in some good news and bad news.”

“What’s the good news?”

“There may be a facility up for sale that I can use to expand my business. It is close enough to home to visit every so often and I won’t have to depend on my brother to continue the business. Of course, if he would still like to help somehow I would not mind so long as it does not burden him.”

“That’s great, are you going to check it out some time soon?”

“Yes, this is where the bad news comes. The facility was originally a packaging center for food substitutes in Hotland, which is a few hours away. Sans and I will be staying at our house in Snowdin for a week, possibly shorter if it does not check out but I believe it will. This means I will not be home to make you spaghetti next Saturday.”

“That’s alright, waiting just builds the suspense. Plus the spaghetti is worth the wait.”

“Nyeh heh, I appreciate that. I did want to ask you a favor if you do not mind.”

“Sure, what is it?”

“Since I will be traveling with my brother the house will be empty and I would like to find someone to house sit. Primarily we just need someone to water the flowers outside and take the mail inside. I believe Sans is also waiting for a package that needs to be signed for. You are welcome to treat the house as your own and eat any food you find.”

It was that last sentence that really got you, plus the idea of being an hour closer to campus was too compelling to pass up. “I’ll do it.” you spoke immediately with more fervor than intended.

“I haven’t had a chance to call anyone about this yet so I am sure I can find someone else if- oh that is wonderful and such passion to help! Should I pick you up on Friday?”

“Yeah, that works. I’ll be at the same address you picked me up from last Friday.”

“Alright, I think now would be a good time to try and sleep again. Hopefully I haven't woken you up too much with my riveting conversation topics.”

“I think I'll be able to sleep fine, thanks for staying on the phone with me until I calmed down.”

“Thank you human for making my night that much more interesting.” He always knew what to say to make you smile. “You should also think of me. Are you thinking of me?”

“W-what?”

“That way I'll be in your dreams to fearlessly protect you from Temmie. I'll have you know, I was this close to getting into the royal guard. I wager I could even handle a thousand Temmies, Nyeheheheh!”

“Sounds like a battle of the ages, the stuff of legends.”

“Oh yes, it would make for a dream of epic proportions, perhaps you should think about Temmie too.”

“N-no, that's alright.”

“I will think of you and dream it for you!”

“S-sure.”

“Good night, sleepy human.”

“Sweet dreams, Papyrus.”

You curled up in your bed sheets, determined to get back to sleep. A subtle fuzzy ball of warmth making your heart light as you drifted off. You wondered what Papyrus would think about.

\-------

On Wednesday, the sculpture that had been loaded into the kiln was finally baked and ready for a coat of acrylic paint. Or so you expected. Peering into the large cylindrical oven you saw that your sculpture was mostly intact but not completely. It was a seated figure but the left arm had collapsed into three pieces, the head had snapped at the neck and now lay on the figures lap. There was also a distinct crack wrapping around one knee, and three toes had turned to dust. It was devastating to see something you had spent over 20 hours sculpting helplessly fall apart in the kiln. There was always this risk whenever you baked a sculpture but this was the first time your fears had come true. Usually the precautions to take were to hollow out the piece to avoid explosive air bubbles as well as to insure thin areas like the neck or limbs were compressed well into the larger pieces such as the torso. If the thinner areas dried before the base this would also cause unwanted cracks. 

“This...is fixable.” You sighed, trying to convince yourself. It wasn't impossible though. Using glue, bondo, and Magic sculpt you could piece everything back together, fill in gaps, and resculpt any broken parts. The downside was that it would take at least 24 hours for everything to settle before you could paint and even then it would prove difficult to hide the difference in color. The bondo and Magic sculpt was terrible at absorbing paint like the clay but surely it could be hidden with enough coats. This was what you told yourself, this was better than starting over, and you needed to have this complete for next week. Definitely not enough time to sculpt, dry, bake, and repaint from the beginning.

After spending the necessary time to fix it back together you were as satisfied as you could be, at least the toes looked better now. Leaving early, unable to work on the sculpture anymore you came back the following day and prepped to paint. As expected the watered down acrylic paint slid off of the adhesive putty but you continued making each layer more concentrated than the last. It was starting to look good and you nearly cried thankful that not all was lost. You were even curious to know if your teacher would be able to tell it broke. At least you got a little bit of practice with repairs and could see this as a learning experience.

Music blasting through your headphones you alternated between applying coats of paint and mixing together new combinations of colors for the next layer. Suddenly you had a hand waving in front of you. Looking at the source you saw Oleander smiling at you.

“Oh, hey what's up?” you asked as you pulled off your headphones.

“Just thought I might see you today. The sculpture is looking great!” He gave out a low whistle while eyeing your artwork. 

“Yeah...I ran into a bit of trouble yesterday. One of the arms popped right off but using the power of bondo I managed to fix it right up. Can't even tell, can you?” You gleamed at Oleander proud of what you accomplished. 

Oleander walked around the table closely inspecting the sculpture from every angle. “Yeah, can't tell at all. Impressive, actually.” He idly spoke with his eyes focused on the left arm. “Hey, you look like you could use a break. I can only imagine the time you put into the repairs, how about I treat you to some tea or coffee?”

“Uhmm, platonically?” You felt incredibly awkward asking that but you had to make sure you weren't mistaking his intentions. The response he gave was laughter.

“What kind of answer is that? Yeah, I meant platonically.” he looked at you skeptically with his arms folded. “So do you want a free drink or not? If not then I'll just get two cups for myself and chug both of them in front of you. You'll be jealous and you know it.”

“Pff, fine then. I'll accept your offer if only to save you from crashing on so much caffiene.”

“Alright, let's go.” he nodded towards the exit for you to follow as he disappeared around the corner. You had to rush to cover all your supplies but everything was relatively safe where it was. 

After walking behind Oleander for about 10 minutes, he finally opened the door for a cafe. More specifically it was a cat cafe and you were nearly jumping in excitement. Now you could finally release all those pent up pets you had hoped to give to Temmie a few days back. Glued to the window that separated the cafe from the kitty playroom, you watched the kittens tumble, climb, sleep, and play with the scattered toy.

“Come on.” Oleander was leaning against the door that would lead to heaven. You nearly skipped through the door and immediately ran for the tiny furballs. Unfortunately they also ran and away from you. 

“Why are you terrorizing the cats?” Oleander mockingly asked.

“Am not!” In that moment you noticed one of the older looking cats brush up against Oleander's leg. Instinctively you started walking towards the creature, more cautiously this time. In fact it looked like you were awkwardly moving in slow motion.

“Here.” Oleander sighed as he picked up the cat and held it out. Forget pride, it's a fluff ball of cuteness. You eagerly took the cat while still being careful not to scare it. Soft, warm, and it just meowed! Bliss! Taking a seat with your captive cat you pet it until it finally hummed with a purr. You looked over at Oleander as though to check if he acknowledged your small success. Instead he casually laid on his back on the floor, eyes closed as several cats climbed over him.

“Whaaat….why are you so popular with the cats?” He smirked in response to your outburst.

“I actually come here a lot, they're just used to me I guess. Cats aren't allowed where I live so I come here to compensate for that.” Turning his head to meet your eyes he continued, “Plus I don't have to clean up poop this way.” He finished his statement by sticking out his tongue.

“My apartment doesn't allow pets either. I've never had a cat growing up, but I would pet the neighbor's cat whenever I saw them.” 

Oleander set aside a couple of kittens before he rolled over onto his stomach. He was holding back a smile as he handed you a small, keychained object. “Here, I think you'll like this.”

Leaning over to grab it you realized it was a laser pointer. Your eyes grew wide and eager. “Does this actually work? I mean I've seen videos but….” You looked around for your victim and flickered on the light to see if you could get a reaction. The cat was immediately transfixed on the small red dot. In a matter of seconds the cat was pouncing and chasing after the dot just like all the online videos you had seen before. A couple of giggles slipped out of your mouth but you were just too delighted by the playful creatures to hide your joy. After half an hour of petting and playing you were escorted out of the room feeling happy. Oleander took a seat inside of the cafe portion of the establishment.

“Aren't you going to get something to drink?” you asked.

“Already ordered for the both of us.” Oleander responded slightly bored.

“But I didn't even get a chance to look at the menu….you probably have horrible taste in coffee or tea or whatever you got….tap water, I don't know.” He seemed amused by your randomness but it wasn't clear.

“Trust me, you'll like it,” he simply responded.

“Fine.” You rolled your eyes as you took a seat across the table from him. “By the way, what are you studying? I come on campus pretty often and last week was the first time I've ever seen you.”

“I'm actually studying 3D modeling, I occasionally come to the sculpture department to use the 3D printing lab.” He lifted the rectangular pendant hanging from his neck. “I printed this a while back, it's made of stainless steel mixed with another component.” 

“Mind if I take a closer look?” You held out your hand and Oleander dropped the pendant in it. The rectangle had complex patterns that looked etched into it. Turning it over there was a star. “Really cool.” you mentioned, handing it back.

“Thanks” his expression was a bit somber as he took the pendant back. Gripping it unusually tight before placing it over his head and around his neck again. A few minutes of silence pass until the barista called out “Ollie.” You gave him a questioning look as he went to fetch the drinks.

“Here, it's tea….what?” 

“Ollie?”

“It's easier to write, pronounce.” He shrugged. “Take your drink already.” He handed you the cup before heading for the exit.

“We're not going to drink it here?” You asked curiously.

“You have painting to do, don't you?”

“O-oh right, that's true. Kind of forgot after seeing the cats.” You took a sip of the tea as an excuse to stop talking. It really was good actually. There was a distinct taste of peach, a hint of pineapple and subtle floral notes, not to mention it was very sweet just the way you liked it. “This is really good!”

Oleander smiled back at you smugly, “Told you.”

“Whatever..” you grumbled before taking another sip.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Walks over to Plot-san*  
> I've missed you...welcome back...  
> *Awkwardly hugs*  
> Now prepare to take your leave next chapter.  
> *Waves handkerchief prematurely*

**Author's Note:**

> REMINDER ABOUT LEAVING COMMENTS:
> 
> Hey guys, you've all been super positive and awesome and I greatly appreciate it. Just be aware I'm moderating comments to ensure they are friendly and appropriate in relation to the story's rating. Some of you have put a lot of "passion" in your comments which make me laugh and smile but have not been approved for the sake of other readers. So yes, don't fret, I'm seeing your comments but if you'd like me to approve and respond to them you may need to write a second, revised version.
> 
> The content of this story may eventually get bumped up to teen+ but I don't plan on ever writing mature or explicit content. At least not intentially, so call me out if I do.


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